Last week, Ford revealed its Ranger Raptor that will go on sale in various overseas markets. A US version will also appear sometime down the line. Remember, the new US-spec Ranger was just unveiled last month at Detroit, alongside the new Edge and Edge ST. Speaking of performance SUV crossovers, is Ford keen on doing more of them? If so, will they be made available to US buyers? Australia's Drive has learned Ford is strongly considering a Raptor version of the Ranger-based Everest SUV.

Ford Performance head engineer Jamal Hameedi told Drive "There's no reason (we couldn't do an Everest Raptor)." Sounds good to us, problem is the Everest is not sold in the US. But the idea of another performance SUV is a great one, and Hameedi acknowledged as much. "The first F-150 Raptor was way beyond our wildest dreams in terms of success, and that success spawned a Ranger Raptor. So to do an SUV is a little more difficult because you have to figure out how to deal with the rear suspension. In the form of a body side outer it's not just a box outer [and that] poses a unique challenge in how you package that."

Speaking with Ford Australia product communication manager Damion Smy, Drive further learned that "There's definitely a case for more performance oriented or at least more sports styled SUVs in the future." That may be the case for Australia, but this has yet to be determined for the US. Remember, we'll be getting our own Ranger-based SUV next year, the reborn Bronco. If sales of the new Edge ST prove to be stellar, then it's definitely possible a Bronco Raptor will be considered. But one thing at a time. Let's get that Ranger Raptor stateside first.