ARB and Ford are undertaking what they call a "high-level collaboration" to sell selected off-road equipment as Ford Licensed Accessories through participating Ford dealers in New Zealand from the second half of 2021.
Ranger and Everest customers will be able to fit out their vehicles with a range of ARB 4x4 gear that will be fully backed by Ford NZ’s new vehicle warranty of up to five years or 150,000km.
The collaboration will initially be rolled out in NZ and Australia, but other selected Ford markets will follow.
The range will be detailed closer to launch. Among them will be core off-road products such as winch compatible bull-bars, electric winches and driving lights, as well as other accessories like storage drawer systems.
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“A lot of our customers have told us they’d love to be able to access a wider range of quality off-road accessories through our Ford dealership network," says Simon Rutherford, managing director of Ford NZ.
"The collaboration means they can access a range of fantastic ARB accessories, adding to already very capable vehicles and head out to more off-road adventures, confidently and safely.”
Ford says the ARB gear for Ranger and Everest has been validated by its engineers, with testing conducted at a number of locations including the Ford Australia Proving Ground near Lara, Victoria. The ARB engineering team is also based in Melbourne, with a team of engineers and designers working from its global head office and manufacturing plant in the Eastern suburbs.
ARB (for Anthony Ronald Brown) was founded back in 1975 when founder Tony Brown was inspired by a four-wheel drive camping trip through the top end of Australia. Upon his return to Melbourne, Tony started work in his family garage to develop better equipment.
It's now Australia’s largest manufacturer and distributor of 4x4 accessories. The company has international offices in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, with a sales network through 100 countries.