The global spec Ford Ranger Raptor made its official debut this week, but the diesel-powered pickup won’t be arriving in North America.

That doesn’t mean Ford will never bring the Ranger Raptor to its home market, however. Speaking to Drive at the debut event for the truck, Ford Performance chief engineer Jamal Hameedi said the Raptor would probably be very popular in the US, but the automaker would have to toss out the twin-turbo 2.0-liter diesel engine it will be offered with in markets like Australia in favor of gasoline unit.

“Raptors are a slam dunk for the US,” Hameedi said. “I think it [the Ranger Raptor] would do really well in the states.”

“I think most American off-roaders would actually prefer a petrol gas engine, but a diesel is the absolute way to go for the rest of the world,” he added.

It’s not like Ford doesn’t have the perfect engine for the Ranger Raptor at its disposal. The 350 hp 2.3-liter turbocharged engine used in other Ford Performance products, such as the Mustang EcoBoost and Ford Focus RS, would be perfect engine to power the US-spec Ranger Raptor.

Before the Ranger Raptor arrives in the US, however, Hameedi wants to make sure the entire world can buy a Raptor-badged Ford product, telling Drive “our first priority is to get a Raptor available to everyone on the planet earth.”

So the US spec Ranger Raptor will be a 2019 model year then, Mr. Hameedi?

a version of this article first appeared on AutoGuide

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