The next-generation Ford Ranger must have a thing for the Alps. Our spy shooters just caught a 2012 Ranger test mule on the mountain roads of the Alps just a few short months after we saw the last one in the same area. In fact, it appears to be the exact same vehicle, judging by the license plates. It appears that the Ranger prototype has gained a little more camouflage in the intervening months, with randomly-placed black tape strips applied over both fenders and doors. The same Mazda-esque front grille remains in place, as does the crew-cab configuration and massive fender flares.
The 2012 Ford Ranger is purported to fall into Ford's global production plans, meaning that the same vehicle Europe and Asia gets should be coming Stateside as well. Based on the Australian T6 architecture, this test mule uses modified Mazda BT-50 bodywork -- that truck being based on the current Euro Ranger.
We can see that the super-slanted windscreen remains in place from the last time we saw this Ranger prototype, and the riveted fender flares appear to be the same items as well. We're expecting the 2012 Ranger to use Duratorque TDCi four-cylinder turbodiesel engines in Europe, while in the U.S., it could receive the 1.6L EcoBoost motor with around 175 hp.
The current Ranger is slated for phase-out in 2011, so expect to see the 2012 version coming either late that year or early 2012.