The Ford Ranger may have roots that date back to the days of the Regan administration – his first term, no less — but its fuel-sipping ways have allowed the small truck to survive well into the 21st century. In fact, Ford recently gave the Ranger a stay of execution from 2009 to 2011. But despite its staying power, the Ranger isn’t immune to the current economic downturn.
Ford announced on Thursday that it will be idling the Ranger’s St. Paul production plant for four weeks in December. The plant is usually closed for one week in December to observe the Christmas holiday, but three additional weeks of down time were deemed necessary to keep Ranger supply in line with demand.
Through September the Ranger has managed to outperform the overall market, seeing just a 4.6 percent decrease in sales versus the market’s 21 percent nose dive.
The St. Paul plant employs about 1,000 workers.
