Motorcare Uganda Limited, a leading player in the Ugandan motor industry with over 27 Years of Experience with exclusive distribution rights for Ford vehicles, has launched the Next-Gen Ford Ranger with advanced safety and technology features.
The unveiling was made at Motorcare Uganda Offices at Kitgum House on 24th November 2023.
According to Ford, the new Ranger is a masterpiece that is crafted to push boundaries and explore Uganda without limits.
It features improved performance, enhanced technology, convenience, and a bold, muscular design.
“We are thrilled to introduce the Next Generation Ranger into the Ugandan Market. The Ranger delivers high-tech features, smart connectivity, more safety, enhanced capability and versatility for work, family and play,” said Richard Musani, Ford Uganda General Manager.
“To ensure ease of financing as Motor Care, we have introduced a full maintenance leasing product. This allows you enjoy the convenience of driving while we handle the hassles of maintenance, comprehensive insurance, and vehicle tracking.”
He added: “I want to thank various stakeholders, distribution partners, and Ford Global for the confidence vested in us and the support they provide as we continue to deliver many experiences to our customers not only in Uganda but across other markets that we operate in.”
Yassine IBN SEDDIK, General field manager of North and Sub-Saharan Africa, said: “This partnership with Motor Care is a promise to our customers that they will experience not only the excellence of our products but also the efficiency and reliability of our distribution network.”
He added: “We believe that this collaboration will not only strengthen our market presence but also create new opportunities for growth and development.”
Mads Kjaer, the owner Kjaer Group, said Ford has been standing out for 120 years serving people in a Safeway.
“Today, we are proud to announce its new home in Uganda at Kitgum House.”
Florence Makada, Managing Director of Motor Care Uganda, said: “We are proud to be recognized as the best motor vehicle dealer, excelling in both sales and after-sales customer service after being awarded as the best in sub-Sahara Africa for two consecutive years.”
New Look, New Capabilities
Customer input was key to developing the next-generation Ranger’s rugged new look. Ford spent a lot of time with owners around the globe, conducting more than 5,000 interviews and dozens of customer workshops to understand how customers used their pickups and what they wanted and expected in the new Ranger.
“Visually, the next-generation Ranger is bold and confident, with a purposeful exterior that shares Ford’s global truck design DNA,” said Yassine IBN SEDDIK Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa General Field Manager Ford Motor Company while attending the launch event in Kampala, Uganda.
The design features a defined new grille, and signature C-clamp headlight treatment at the front while a subtle shoulder line down the sides incorporates bolder wheelarches that gives Ranger a sure-footed stance. For the first time, Ford Ranger offers matrix LED headlights. At the back, the taillights are designed in harmony with the signature graphics on the front. Inside, the car-like cabin steps up, using premium soft-touch materials, and prominent portrait-style center touchscreen with Ford’s signature SYNC®i 4 connectivity and entertainment system. The reveal models – the stylish XLT, rugged Sport and adventurer Wildtrak – reflect this customer input both inside and out.
According to Musani, Uganda’s automotive industry is steadily progressing and continues to register growth because of the demand from new and existing customers, hence creating an opportunity for industry players like Motorcare to innovate and design cars that not only promise convenience and the ability to navigate tough terrains but a car that also promises progress in one’s life pursuits.
“Currently, we are approximately 45 million Ugandans and according to the Ministry of Works and Transport statistics, as of 30th June 2020, a total of 1,361,861 motor vehicles are registered on the e-tax platform while 940,160 are yet to be validated on the e-tax bringing the total number to 2,302,021 motor vehicles.”
“This representation which might have grown by 5% to date is an opportunity for Motorcare to not only innovate quality cars but also collaborate with individuals, and business entities like large corporate institutions to make these cars more accessible to their teams so that they can execute their tasks efficiently especially teams that are always on the roads,” Musani highlighted.
Next-gen Safety
Ford engineers spent thousands of hours developing and testing next-gen Ranger’s safety features, both via computer modelling and the most comprehensive physical testing program ever conducted by Ford outside of Europe and the US.
A significant number of computer-aided engineering (CAE) models were built to test various accident scenarios, including full-frontal, frontal offset, pole test, rear offset crash tests, pedestrian impacts, roof crush tests, and more. Additionally, the team conducted hundreds of physical tests to ensure vehicle safety performance was met and to validate the CAE modelling.
“Ranger enjoys a solid safety heritage thanks to its Built Ford Tough lineage, and our testing efforts have gone above and beyond requirements to ensure Ranger’s safety is robust and fitting to our customers around the globe,” said Franco Moras, Vehicle Safety manager, Ford Australia. He added, “Customers want to be able to travel safely with their friends and family and be able to move their cargo with confidence. The next-generation Ranger not only delivers on the ability to help them tackle whatever they want at work or with family and friends, but it helps them do that with the safety and peace of mind they want, thanks to the numerous new driver assistance technologies and safety features the new model offers.”
Musani concluded by appreciating Ford Global for the confidence vested in the Ugandan team and the support accorded over time, which has enabled them to deliver unmatched experiences to their customers not only in Uganda but across the markets where they operate, including their various stakeholders like the Government and the Ministries they closely work with within the automotive space.
Key Features of the Next Generation Ford Ranger;
Ford’s post-collision braking system applies the brakes after a collision to reduce the risk of secondary collisions. The system automatically engages with moderate brake pressure when an initial collision has occurred.
Pre-Collision Assist (Wildtrak and Raptor series only)
Pre-collision Assist uses both the new, wide-view windscreen-mounted camera and radar located near the front bumper to scan the road ahead to detect a potential collision with another vehicle, pedestrian, or cyclist directly in front of your vehicle. If an imminent collision is detected the system emits an audible and visual warning. If the driver’s response is not sufficient the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system will activate automatically.
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) (Wildtrak and Raptor series only)
As part of the smart technology safety suite on next-gen Ford Ranger, the pickup’s AEB system has been enhanced with cyclist and pedestrian detection capability as well as the ability to provide AEB support at an intersection in some instances, thanks to the addition of a new, wider camera. This means, if the driver fails to take corrective action, the vehicle will apply the brakes automatically to help reduce the severity of some frontal collisions.
Forward Collision Warning (Wildtrak and Raptor series only)
In the event of a potential frontal collision, the next-gen Ford Ranger’s forward collision warning system will alert the driver with an audible warning tone, which also mutes the audio system.
Dynamic Brake Support (Wildtrak and Raptor series only)
In the event of a driver needing additional braking support, the dynamic brake support (DBS) system assists the driver by ‘pre-charging’ the brakes. Once the radar-only- based system pre-charges the brakes it will lower the emergency brake-assist threshold for quicker reaction. DBS does not automatically activate the brakes but if the brake pedal is pressed, full-force braking is applied, even if the brake pedal is only slightly depressed.
Evasive Steer Assist (Raptor series only)
A segment-first feature, Evasive Steer Assist helps the driver avoid potential collisions with a slower or stopped vehicle ahead by providing a boost to the steering. This allows the driver to steer with less effort when a collision cannot be avoided by braking alone.
The system is designed to operate at both urban and highway speeds and employs the same camera and radar used with the Pre-collision Assist feature.
Reverse Brake Assist (Raptor series only)
Reverse Brake Assist helps drivers to avoid or mitigate potential collisions while reversing. The system may detect moving vehicles or stationary pedestrians and objects behind the Ranger. The system can apply the brakes to briefly stop the vehicle should the driver not react in time.
BLIS® with Trailer Coverage (Raptor series only)
Ford Ranger customers like to tow, so the team has enhanced the blind spot information system (BLIS) with trailer coverage which is not just new for Ranger but also new to the segment. The system can be programmed to provide custom coverage depending on the length of the trailer the customer is towing (covering a trailer up to 2.4 metres wide and 10 metres long) because one-size doesn’t always fit all. The system is like having another ‘set of eyes’ when performing a lane change or merging onto a freeway. If a faster-moving vehicle enters the Ranger’s blind spot zone, BLIS will alert the driver via a small light in the side mirror, so they know not to change lanes.
Cross Traffic Alert (Wildtrak and Raptor series only)
Tricky reversing situations are a little less stressful with the next-gen Ford Ranger’s Cross Traffic Alert system. When a driver shifts into Reverse, the system is active, and will alert the driver of a vehicle approaching from the sides, when reversing out of a driveway onto a street, or from a busy supermarket parking spot for example.
Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop-and-Go (Raptor series only)
New to the Ford Ranger is adaptive cruise control with a stop-and-go feature, which lets drivers set a cruising speed in the next-gen Ford Ranger and then maintain a set pacing distance from the vehicle ahead. When that vehicle slows down, the Ranger does too, even down to a stop in traffic; when traffic picks up speed, the Ranger resumes its pre-set speed and distance. This intelligent feature also can, where possible, set the cruise speed based on traffic sign recognition.
The system also features Lane Centering Assist, which uses an onboard camera to detect lane markings and provides continued steering assistance to help you keep your vehicle.
