Haul of China
The next-gen Raptor SuperCrew is bound for sale in China in 2017
By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of Ford Motor Company
The 2017 F-150 Raptor is designed to take on any terrain, but next year the SuperCrew version will also take on a new sales market, which is one of the largest around. That’s right the four-door version of the high-performance pickup will be available in China in 2017.
“F-150 Raptor is the ultimate showcase of the tough capability available throughout Ford’s family of trucks and SUVs,” John Lawler, chairman and CEO, Ford Motor China, said. “By introducing it to the world’s largest auto market, we hope to inspire a new generation of off-road enthusiasts, and demonstrate how we are always bringing our customers new innovations.”
While we don’t know its official power ratings yet, we do know that the 2017 F-150 Raptor will deliver more performance than the last Raptor, which produced 411 horsepower and 434 lb.-ft. of torque. It will also haul along a host of new features, including an EcoBoost V-6, a 10-speed automatic transmission and a four-wheel-drive, torque-on-demand transfer case. It will also sport six Terrain modes—Normal, Street, Weather, Mud & Sand, Baja and Rock—designed to maximize performance for the street, desert, and inclement weather.
“F-150 Raptor represents the very best of what Ford can accomplish with its world-class engineering and design teams, and its long history of building tough, capable and versatile trucks,” Jamal Hameedi, global chief program engineer, Ford Performance, said. “We are thrilled to offer our customers in China the chance to experience new levels of off-road performance with the all-new F-150 Raptor.”
The 2017 F-150 Raptor SuperCrew is built alongside its mainstream F-150 cousins at the Dearborn Truck Plant in Dearborn, Michigan. The 2017 F-150 will be sold in 96 markets worldwide.
The Mustang isn’t the only high-performance Ford expanding its sales outside North America. The 2017 F-150 SuperCrew will be available in China next year.