June 24, 2019—The 2019 Ford Ranger is sporting a new back-seat feature that includes a special notification system on the dashboard that lets the driver see how many back-seat passengers are buckled up, when they’re unbuckled and specifically in which seat, reported The Detroit Free Press.
According to the executive publisher of Kelley Blue Book, the feature reflects a consumer trend in which over the last 40 years, trucks have evolved from pure work or utility vehicles to dual-purpose cargo and family haulers.
Ford has sold 22,900 Ford Rangers this year, according to Kelley Blue Book. And sales have more than tripled since the start of the year. The top three leaders in the midsize pickup segment since January are the Toyota Tacoma, Chevy Colorado and Nissan Frontier. Consumers have purchased 242,692 midsize pickups in 2019.