Think the Ford Ranger Raptor is too common with too many fakes on the road? By mid-2023, there will be an official, Ford-approved right-hand drive Ford F-150.

Currently, the Ford F-150 is only available in left-hand drive format, sold predominantly in North American markets of USA and Canada, but it’s also available in China.

There are right-hand drive F-150 models available, one of it is even sold in Malaysia by a grey importer but these are all converted units and the work is not recognized by Ford.

Now, Ford has announced that it will be launching a right-hand drive Ford F-150 – the first of its kind – by mid-2023, exclusively for the Australian market.

The right-hand drive Ford F-150 still won’t be manufactured by Ford, but converted by Australian engineering specialist RMA Automotive Holdings. However, Ford says the conversion job is supervised by Ford and that the end product will meet Ford’s quality standards.

The Australian market Ford F-150s will be powered exclusively by a 3.5-litre turbocharged V6 engine that makes 405 PS / 678 Nm (sorry fans of V8-powered American trucks), paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission. Two variants will be available – XLT and Lariat. Sorry Raptor fans.

All models will come with Ford SYNC4 infotainment system, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping system, rear-view camera, and auto high beam.

Parallel imported cars from Australia are rare but there is always demand for unique, specialty vehicles and at some point, there will be resourceful importers who will pave the way for a Ford-approved, right-hand drive Ford F-150 to be imported into Malaysia.

Nevermind Malaysian importers. We are pretty sure that grey importers from Thailand are paying attention to the news.