Pickup truck Ford Ranger has continued its success in the Asia Pacific in 2018 with sales increasing in the first six months by almost 9 per cent year-on-year to 69,103 units, Ford said.

For the third year in a row Ranger was the best-selling vehicle overall in New Zealand, and remained the best-selling pickup truck in Taiwan and Viet Nam, the US company reported.

It also continued with impressive share gains in Thailand’s pickup dominated industry, the company added.

In Viet Nam, Ranger led the pickup truck segment for a fifth consecutive year with nearly 50 per cent of the market.

Ford said it would roll out the new Ranger in markets across the Asia Pacific during the second half of the year.

The company recently kicked off production of the first-ever Ranger Raptor at its Ford Thailand plant for export across the region.

The vehicle will be sold beginning in August in Thailand and later this year in other markets. — VNS