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04/07/2008 07:10. As rising gas prices squeeze its fullsize truck sales, Ford Motor Co. is thinking of keeping the popular Ranger around for a little longer, according to sources close to the company’s future product plans.

Bryce G. Hoffman writes in The Detroit News that Ford may tack on another two years to the Ranger’s life, continuing its production until 2011, when a new global version of the truck manufactured outside of the United States is expected. Ford is currently scheduled to end Ranger production next year and close the Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the compact pickup is built.

Debuting in 1982 as a 1983 model, the Ranger is the most fuel-efficient compact pickup on the market today, getting 21 mpg city and 26... // Ford Muscle