Ford Ranger Raptor Won't Be Sold in America
The new Ford Ranger Raptor won’t be sold in the United States, the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker has confirmed.
Ford says the 2.0-liter diesel powered Ranger Raptor was developed for markets where the F-150 isn’t already sold, such as Australia and the United Kingdom. Bringing it up to the standards of North American truck buyers would allegedly be too expensive, so Ford’s decided to just not bother.
We’re a bit confused by that, though. We realize it’s easier said than done, but it doesn’t seem like it would so hard for Ford to uncork the 310 hp 2.3-liter turbo in the US-market Raptor and apply the same off-road components the global Ranger has to create a US-spec Ranger Raptor. This announcement is especially surprising when you consider that Ford recently killed off its car portfolio (save for the Mustang) so it could focus on trucks, SUVs and crossovers.
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Ford previously expressed a desire for “every human being in the world,” to have access to a Raptor model, so the idea is that if you don’t get the F-150 Raptor, you’ll get the Ranger Raptor instead. The automaker may have also thought selling the two side-by-side in the US would create overlap and reduce sales of the more expensive and profit-heavy F-150 Raptor.
So if you live in the US or Canada and want a true, off-road focused mid-size truck, you’ll have to waltz into your nearest Chevrolet dealer and pick up a Z71 Colorado. Ford’s not interested in your business, it seems. If you want a vehicle that fits a “white space” silhouette, though, (whatever that is) – then you know where to look.
[Source: Autoblog]
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Sam McEachern holds a diploma in journalism from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, and has been covering the automotive industry for over 5 years. He conducts reviews and writes AutoGuide's news content. He's a die-hard motorsports fan with a passion for performance cars of all sorts.
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I'd bet they're going to sell more Ranger's than F150's anyways which is kinda them shooting themselves in the foot. At this point, to release the Ranger and hold back the Raptor version is just insulting. Ironic considering the rules and regs the big 3 created to keep good cars out of our hands is a big reason why they're all in financial trouble.
Ford is so clueless. Hope they wake up soon before it's too late