Photo of the Ranger pickup courtesy of Ford.

Photo of the Ranger pickup courtesy of Ford.

Ford Motor Co. will sell the Ranger mid-size pickup truck in China in 2018 as part of the automaker’s pursuit to grow the country’s emerging pickup market, the company announced.

Ford will outline its strategy on pursuing the China pickup market on April 8 in Shanghai led by Ford president and CEO Mark Fields. Ford also plans on revealing pricing for the F-150 Raptor in China, which is currently on sale in the country, according to the automaker.

The first F-150 Raptors will be delivered to customers in China Saturday, according to Reuters.

“We see a significant white-space opportunity with Chinese buyers increasingly looking for more capable, more refined and more stylish pickups,” said Fields.

While pickup trucks currently represent less than 2% of the market, China is already the fourth largest truck market in the world with 14% growth last year, according to the automaker.

China has been easing restrictions on pickup usage in city centers, which is another factor driving growing interest in pickups, according to Ford.

“We see an opportunity to satisfy unmet need in China for world-class, stylish and refined pickups,” said Dave Schoch, president of Ford Asia Pacific and CEO of Ford China.

Earlier this year, Ford announced that it was bringing back the Ranger to the North American market for the 2019 model year.

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