The Raptor version of Ford's mid-size Ranger pickup truck isn't bound for the United States.

The information was revealed to Autoblog by Hermann Salenbauch, vehicle line director at Ford Performance, in an interview published Thursday.

Two reasons Salenbauch gave were that the Ranger Raptor is based on the global version of the Ranger pickup which differs from the North American model, and that the cost of making it meet local regulations makes the project not viable.

When contacted by Motor Authority, a Ford spokesman backed up Salenbauch's comments by reiterating those two reasons.

2019 Ford F-150 Raptor

2019 Ford F-150 Raptor

We'll remind you that the Ranger Raptor was developed for markets where the F-150, and thus the F-150 Raptor also, either isn't sold or isn't popular. Ford has even designed it with a four-cylinder diesel, which is fine off-road use but slow when back on the road. With 210 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, the engine accelerates the Ranger Raptor from 0-62 mph in a minivan-like 10.5 seconds.

Hopes of a local debut jumped in February when Jamal Hameedi, Ford Performance chief vehicle engineer, said the Ranger Raptor would be a hit in the U.S., though only if fitted with a gasoline engine.

Shortly after he made those comments, examples of the Ranger Raptor were spotted near Ford's headquarters in Detroit. Things then really heated up in August when patent drawings surfaced depicting a Ranger Raptor sporting some elements only found on North American Rangers.

Now it appears the Ranger Raptor isn't U.S.-bound, though plans sometimes have a way of changing.