Review: 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor
The 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor is a high performance version of the SUV designed by extreme off-road racing trucks. Fox News Autos Editor Gary Gastelu reviews.
Ford may be about to sow something wild.
The automaker recently filed a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) decoder with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for its 2023 trucks and SUVs that was spotted by the Bronco6G.com fan forum.
The document details what all the letters and digits mean in each VIN, including where the vehicle is made and the sort of equipment it comes with from the factory.
It also lists specific trim levels for each model, which in this case includes the previously announced F-150 Heritage Edition and yet to be confirmed Bronco and Bronco Sport models of the same name.
The Bronco Raptor is one of eight Bronco trims. (Ford)
There is one mysterious inclusion that stands out though, and it has the automotive world twirling its collective mustache in thought.
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It is the Bronco Oates, which is listed as a two-door with an advanced 4x4 system that is shared with several extreme off-roading models like the Wildtrack and Badlands.
The Bronco Oates shares a name with musician John Oates. (Ford and Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)
Oates only exists as a proper name in English that's shared by writer Joyce Carol Oates and musician John Oates, of Hall and Oates fame, and does not have an obvious etymology that would bring to mind a rugged SUV.
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John Oates actually owns a trademark on the name for use related to music and a logo featuring it written across a depiction of his signature bushy mustache.
John Oates' official website features his signature logo. (John Oates)
Ford, however, recently trademarked "OTX" in relation to SUVs and off-road vehicles, which is vaguely similar to Oates if you sound out the letters.
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Ford is not doing that, and remains mum on the topic for now, but with the 2023 model year vehicles fast approaching, the Bronco Oates could soon be ready to rock … crawl.