Production of Global 2019 Ford Ranger Raptor Begins in Thailand

Ford has officially started production of the first  at its Thailand manufacturing facility for the Asia-Pacific market. According to our New Zealand friends at Driven, the all-new trucks should be available to consumers in that region near the end of the year.

The new off-road monster is expensive, starting at $84,990 in New Zealand dollars or about $57,650 U.S. at current exchange rates. The new truck will be powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter diesel engine mated to an all-new 10-speed transmission and it will have specially tuned Fox Racing shocks. Interestingly, and a significant departure from the 2019 Ford Ranger seen at the , the downsized version of the rugged 4×4 will have a coil-link rear suspension and an upgraded Terrain Management System with six different traction mode settings. The 2019 Ford Ranger seen in Detroit, as well as the current Ranger Raptor, had conventional leaf springs.

The new Asia-Pacific 2019 Ford Ranger Raptor will come in five colors: Conquer Grey, Lightning Blue, Race Red, Shadow Black and Frozen White. It was built under the direction of former Ford Performance chief engineer Jamal Hameedi, who also created the first-generation Ford F-150 Raptor.

The new Ranger Raptor will compete with the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro and Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, neither of which are sold in the Asia-Pacific market for now. However, if the Ranger Raptor comes to the U.S., who knows what kind of three-way head-to-head off-road mayhem might happen? For now, we can only dream.

Manufacturer image (above); SpiedBilde image (below)