Ford is ending production of its once vastly popular small half-truck, the Ford Ranger, which it admitted became the unwilling victim of in-house competition.

The venerable pickup will soon cease to exist, at least in the United States, with Ford revealing that sales of the vehicle dipped consistently over the last 10 years as customers gradually shifted their attention to its bigger sibling, the hulking F-150.

It used to be that saving petrol was the reason behind the birth of the Ranger, which Ford initially rolled out in 1982 to pit against the small half-trucks, mostly Japanese, that flooded the American market.

Well into the 1990s, Ranger made a name for fuel economy and affordability, but that is hardly the case now as gas prices continue to soar and the vehicle's sticker price approaches that of the higher-end F-150.

According to the Associated Press, a Ranger fitted with a V6 engine carries an initial tag price of $22,000, which is approximately $600 cheaper when compared to the bigger and more eye-catching F-150.

Consumers also lamented that Ranger engineering appears to have stalled, both interior and exterior.

One Ranger enthusiast pointed out to the AP that the Rangers of today sport almost identical interior on units sold as early as 1996.

The science also became stagnant as the F-150's fuel efficiency achieved great improvements that delivered more mileage, further brushing aside the Ranger from the radar of pickup buyers, even loyal Ford clients, AP said in a related report.

Ford said that as production grinds to a halt soon, the Ranger's main production site in St. Paul, Minn., which Henry Ford established in 1925, will be closed down but affected workers will be redeployed in other Ford facilities.

Despite the decision, the Ranger will continue hitting the roads of other countries as Ford plans to assemble the vehicle in Thailand, South Africa and South America for shipment to countries like Australia, where one Ranger model was exclusively designed.

All indicators surrounding Ranger sales lately have prompted Ford officials "to start questioning whether to commit the tremendous capital and resources," for its sustained production, according to Ford U.S. sales analyst Erich Merkle.

Ford has expressed confidence that eventually, loyal Ranger lovers will migrate to the F-150, which Merkle said carries more compelling features and functions, with almost the same price.