Ford aims to expand sales of its Ranger trucks for military purposes to Nato countries across Europe as the US carmaker joins the £2bn race to develop next-generation vehicles for the British Army. Ford's European boss Jim Baumbick told the Financial Times there was "a big opportunity" for Nato to develop military-purpose vehicles with shared car parts to strengthen crisis-management capabilities. The carmaker will partner with General Dynamics Land Systems and UK engineering group Ricardo to compete for the UK Ministry of Defence's light mobility vehicle programme, which will replace retiring fleets of Land Rover and Pinzgauer military vehicles.

Despite crowded competition from General Motors, Ineos Automotive, and Jaguar Land Rover, Ford leverages the scale and cost competitiveness of its Ranger business, the best-selling pick-up in Europe for over a decade. The company plans to produce vehicle engines at its Dagenham plant, referencing its historic wartime production. A contract award is expected next spring for the through-life value of approximately £2bn, with the first tranche forecast at £750mn.