Officials from Motorcare Uganda and Ford officially the New Next-Gen Ford Ranger
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.
During the launch held at Kitgum House on Friday evening, Richard Musani, the General Manager, Sales and Marketing at Motorcare Uganda, said, “We are thrilled to introduce the Next Generation Ranger into the Ugandan Market. The Next Gen Ranger Delivers High-Tech Features, Smart Connectivity, More Safety, Enhanced Capability and Versatility for Work, Family and Play.” He said besides other safety and luxurious features, the unveiled vehicle gives comfort even in areas with poor road infrastructure.
Musani said they’re ready to exploit the opportunities in the oil and gas sector, noting that the demand for new vehicles has gone up as oil companies intensify activities in the run up to the first oil expected before the end of 2025. He revealed that the pick-up truck go for between US$45,000-90,000.
“To ensure ease of financing as Motorcare, we have developed a product called the Full Maintenance Leasing which allows you the comfort of driving as we take the hustles to do with how we maintain your car, insure it comprehensively and ensure that we truck it for you,” he said, adding that they also partner with a number of banks who offer credit to customers who want to fully own the car.
The Guest of Honour, Gen Edward Katumba Wamala, the Minister of Works and Transport, who was represented by the Chief Mechanical Engineer at Ministry of Works, Tony Kavuma, said Motorcare has added more class by adding Ford and Hyundai on the vehicles it sells in Uganda. He described the Next-Gen Ford Ranger as classy and environmentally friendly.
He thanked Motorcare for the support rendered to the Government.
“Government has invested substantially in transport infrastructure and services. A number of Government Ministries, Departments and agencies have procured a number of vehicles and equipment. This is a huge investment where Government has spent approximately one million dollars. This investment needs to be preserved through proper use and care,” Katumba said in a speech read for him by Kavuma. He added that drivers should be trained to understand the features of vehicles, saying that poor drivers can increase the cost of maintenance by 20%.
The Guest of Honour, Chief Mechanical Engineer Ministry of Works, Tony Kavuma, testing the the Next-Gen Ford Ranger during its launch at Motorcare Uganda Offices at Kitgum House on 24th November 2023.
Speaking at the same event, Florence Makada, the Managing Director, Motorcare Uganda noted, “We are thrilled to have Ford as an addition to our Family of Brands at Motorcare Uganda, our customers now have an array of choice and can visit our recently opened showroom dedicated for Ford at Kitgum House. Aftersales Services are available at Motorcare Jinja Road and across our upcountry service network.”
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, the Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa General Field Manager for Ford Motor Company while attending the launch event.
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.
