VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE AND VEHICLE CONTROL METHOD

A vehicle control device for controlling a vehicle including a variator provided in a power transmission path between a driving source and a driving wheel of a vehicle and a friction engaging element provided between the variator and the driving wheel, engaged when a running range is selected, while disengaged when a non-running range is selected and shutting off transmission of power through the power transmission path is provided. In this embodiment, an operating state of the vehicle is detected, a target speed ratio of the variator according to the operating state of the vehicle is set, if an actual speed ratio of the variator is smaller than the target speed ratio, shifting control of lowering a supply hydraulic pressure to a primary pulley of the variator and increasing the speed ratio of the variator is executed, and when the selection is switched from the non-running range to the running range during execution of the shifting control, lowering of the supply hydraulic pressure to the primary pulley after the switching is regulated.