Pretoria - Ford has announced on Thursday (September 7) that its hugely popular Ranger bakkie will be available in an off-road performance variant for the first time.
The purpose-built, desert-racing inspired bakkie joins the Ford Performance family, as the new ‘Ranger Raptor’, says the automaker.
Ford SA says: "The Ranger Raptor will be coming to South Africa, with further information to be revealed in due course."
"Designed and engineered to deliver an adrenaline pumping experience, Ford Ranger Raptor sports a head-turning exterior look that exudes toughness as well as a level of capability and off-road performance never before seen in the mid-size bakkie segment.
"Sharing the same nomenclature as the F-150 Raptor, the world’s most extreme production bakkie, Ranger Raptor is in a class of its own among mid-size off-road performance vehicles."
#RangerRaptor- What do you think of the new Ford Ranger Raptor for SA? Email us
The automaker says: "Building on the success of the class-leading Ford Ranger, one of the best-selling bakkies in a number of markets, Ranger Raptor brings the thrilling off-road performance capabilities of the ‘Raptor’ to the Ranger for the first time ever, claims Ford.
Jamal Hameedi, chief engineer, Ford Performance, says: "Combining the Raptor’s advanced off-road capabilities with the versatility of the Ranger is a significant accomplishment for Ford’s world-class engineering and design teams."
Ranger Raptor joins F-150 Raptor to extend the globally renowned Ford Performance DNA, complementing the on-road high performance lineup of Ford GT, Ford Mustang Shelby, Focus RS, Focus ST and Fiesta ST.
Image:Youtube
We are excited to announce the #RangerRaptor will be coming to SA with further info to be revealed in future: https://t.co/kIYLVxpBT6. pic.twitter.com/PQZ4Q2uwPk
— Ford South Africa (@FordSouthAfrica) September 7, 2017
SA car sales: Good month for Ford Ranger, Mustang
Image: Youtube
Earlier in September, Wheels24 reported that Ford SA has sold a total of 6482 vehicles locally in August 2017, making it the automaker's second-best monthly volume this year – second only to the 6634 vehicles sold in January.
The popular Ford Ranger saw 2566 bakkies finding new homes. A further 3079 locally-assembled Rangers were exported to Europe, the Middle East and African markets.