We’re still baffled by Ford’s decision not to offer the new Ranger Raptor in the United States. The appetite for tough-looking, off-road capable trucks and SUVs is huge right now and not everyone has $55,000 to drop on a new F-150 Raptor.

But there may be hope yet for those off-roading enthusiasts wanting a dune-bashing mid-size pickup from the Blue Oval.

Road & Track recently dug up some LinkedIn profiles of engineers working on Ford projects and found multiple mentions of a ‘P703’ chassis code. This chassis code is believed to be for the next-generation Ford Ranger, which is expected to launch in 2022. The publication also located other LinkedIn profiles that indicated a Raptor version of the P703 project is under development and is US-bound.

Interestingly, many of the team members working on the P703 project were also working on the 2020 Ford Bronco project. This could mean that the Bronco will spawn an off-road ready Raptor variant, although Bronco Raptor would be kind of a silly name. We’re picturing a centaur-style create with a raptor top half and bronco bottom. Yikes.

But we digress. The Ranger Raptor, if it is indeed bound for the US, probably won’t be here for another four or five years. The standard Ranger is just arriving at dealers now, so Ford’s focus for the near future will be selling as many Ranger and Ranger FX4s before the next-generation model arrives in 2022 or 2023.

The global-spec Ranger Raptor (pictured), will launch in Europe, Britain, Thailand, Australia and other markets this year. It features a bi-turbo 2.0-liter diesel engine, which makes 210 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. The only transmission option is a 10-speed automatic.

[source: Road & Track]

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