While the Ford F-150 Raptor sounds like an absolute hoot, most would prefer something smaller like the Ranger Raptor but Ford confirmed that the United States isn’t getting that one, either.
Mid-sized trucks returning to the United States is a big deal and with the return of the Ford Ranger, arguably the previous reigning King of mid-sized trucks, it’s an unofficial litmus test that demand is strong. So when Ford dropped a hotter Ranger Raptor in their South East Asian markets, naturally, Ford Ranger fans here in the United States wanted a piece of that action. As per Auto Blog on their exclusive report after asking a Ford rep about the fate of the Ranger Raptor in America earlier this week (Oct. 18,2018) the Ranger Raptor is not destined for our shores.
First of all, it’s not like the Ranger Raptor doesn’t exist, it’s actually already production ready and on their way to dealerships in countries like Thailand and various other European countries.
The truth is most people who want the Ford Ranger Raptor in the United States fail to take a bird’s eye-view of Ford Trucks sales. Ford is a global car manufacturer, catering to different markets, not just the United States. The United States has some of the strictest diesel engine regulations regarding pollutants and how much they can emit.
While the 2.0T Ecoblue diesel already under the hood of the Ford Ranger Raptor is actually very clean, it’s most likely still not up to snuff to U.S. standards. To bring it up to the cleanliness that would satisfy the U.S. market would probably lower power output or add-on an after combustion treatment solution further increasing the price and decreasing the appeal.
You’ve got to hand it to Ford as they’ve stated that they tried to give every region it sells trucks in some sort of Raptor, so God bless them for trying.
We already have the Ford F-150 Raptor, a model Ford doesn’t sell in those other markets with the Ranger Raptor so we should count ourselves so lucky.
And if you’re hankering for a hotter Ranger, rest assured the aftermarket will respond with a variety of suspension packages to turn your mid-sized Ford into a desert runner at a fraction of what you would’ve paid Ford.
