https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=64&v=U94wDbctu1U
A German video game convention seems like a strange place to announce the release of a new truck, but at an event called Gamescom back in late August, Ford announced that its new midsize Ranger Raptor pickup would be coming to Europe in 2019.
The announcement also came with a badass trailer, which portrays the Ford Ranger Raptor as an absolute off-roading beast.
Read More: Here's Why a Ford F-150 Raptor Full-size Pickup Truck Is Worth $65,000
Per The Drive:
The trailer features the Ranger Raptor tackling a variety of rough terrains in a quarry, complete with jumps, drifts, and even survival of a wall-crumbling demolition. Showcased are its 11.1-inch ride hight, four-wheel drive, and twin-turbo 2.0-liter engine whipping up 210-horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. These combined with the truck's "Baja" driving mode (which derestricts traction control on loose surfaces) makes dusty rooster tails a piece of cake.
Leo Roeks, the Ford Performance Director of the European division, succinctly echoed the sentiments made by the trailer in an official press release.
"Forget everything you think you know about pick-ups," Roeks said. "Our new Ranger Raptor is a different breed--a thoroughbred desert racer and extreme lifestyle off-roader that can toil with the best of them in the harshest of working conditions."
Ford currently has plans to sell the Ranger Raptor in the European and the Asia-Pacific markets, which also includes Australia. Unfortunately, there has been no confirmation on whether or not the performance pickup will available for purchase in the United States anytime soon, though there were apparently sightings of Ranger Raptor test mules in Detroit.
It's hard to believe that Ford wouldn't eventually bring a rugged off-roader like the Ranger Raptor to North America, but stranger things have happened. Like a new car announcement at a German video game convention.