Ford got the nod for the first replacement order because of its large payload capacity; it can carry five adults and a ton of cargo, more than the French vehicles.
PARIS — In what might be construed as a blow to Gallic pride, the French army will soon be patrolling La Belle France, the land of Renaults and Peugeots, in Ford Ranger pickups.
The army is buying 1,000 of the Ford trucks as part of a “crash program” to begin replacing its fleet of off-road vehicles, said Pierre Bayle, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry. The army’s Peugeot P4 jeeps went into service in 1983 and are becoming obsolete, he said.