The Future of Ford Trucks - Ranger, F-100, F-150, Super Duty
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008

Automotive News has put together an excellent article on Ford’s product strategy. Here’s what’s coming up in regards to Ford trucks. See also: [F150 Raptor] [Ford F100]

Ford RangerRanger: The small pickup had been scheduled to die, but now Ford is considering extending Ranger output by as much as two years. The automaker had been expected to end Ranger production in fall 2009 when it planned to close its assembly plant in St. Paul, Minn.

What may give the Ranger new life is the relatively high mpg capability stemming from the standard four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission.

Ford may keep making the aging Ranger into the 2011 calendar year. While it’s unlikely that Ford would invest in any significant update in the truck, changes may be made to comply with federal rollover mandates.

Ford eventually could replace the Ranger with a small pickup developed on a new global architecture Ford of Australia is developing, called T6.

F-100: Ford is developing a smaller version of its flagship F-series pickup. The new pickup, code-named P525, could be called F-100; it is scheduled to go into production in mid-2011 for the 2012 model year.

The pickup is based on a lighter version of the F-150 chassis and would share front-end sheet metal with the next-generation Expedition, if that vehicle is produced. The F-100 would be offered in a crew-cab model only.

The trade-off for the lighter frame is reduced capability. The F-100 is aimed at buyers who want a pickup but do not need to tow 10,000-plus pounds or carry 3,000-pound loads.

A performance version of the F-100 that tops 400 hp is a possibility.

2008 Ford F-150F-150: Talk about bad timing. Ford is launching the 2009 re-engineered, restyled F-150 in a terrible market for pickups.The 2008 models stacked up at dealerships as gasoline prices rose.

The inventory overload and drop in demand caused Ford to push back the on-sale date of the 2009 truck by two months and eliminate two shifts of production. The 2009 F-150 now is expected to go on sale in late fall. Ford plans to build more basic work trucks and fewer high-end models.

The 2009 F-150 has an all-V-8 engine strategy. Ford has dropped a base V-6 for now. Executives say a turbocharged V-6, part of Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine family, will be added in 2010. The three engines for the 2009 model are a 5.4-liter, three-valve V-8; a 4.6-liter, three-valve V-8; and a 4.6-liter, two-valve V-8. They are paired with a four-speed automatic or a new six-speed automatic transmission.

F-series Super Duty: A freshened Super Duty is expected for the 2011 model year.

Source: [Automotive News]

Tags: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, ecoboost, f100, ford, future, ranger, trucks
Posted in Industry News | 1 Comment »
Two new smaller Ford trucks confirmed for 2010/2011
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008

MotorTrend is reporting that Ford has confirmed plans of building two new pickups smaller than the F-150 (one may be the Ford F-100). With gas prices showing no signs of going down, this is good news from the Blue Oval. As we reported earlier, one of the trucks may be called the F-100.

Here is a quote from the MotorTrend article:

The smaller F-150 is codenamed P525 and may be badged F-100, the name of the F-150’s predecessor from the 1950s. At one point, P525 and the Ranger replacement were competing proposals, but with growing need for higher-fuel-mileage trucks, both projects will become reality in 2010 or 2011. The P525 won’t be offered with V-8 power, but instead will come with four-cylinder and V-6 EcoBoost (gas direct injection and turbocharging) options, the engines’ fuel economy and torque optimized for interim Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards expected to kick in for the 2011 model year.

Personally, I can’t wait to see a smaller EcoBoost truck, especially a potentially turbo 4-cylinder model. I only have need for a light-duty pickup. I suspect many people are in the same boat, they don’t need the V8 power on a daily basis and would like to get better mpg for their daily commute.

The F-100 nameplate has some heritage and I think it would be a good choice for a slightly-smaller-than-F-150 size.

Tags: 2010, 2011, ecoboost, f100, ford, ranger, smaller
Posted in Industry News | 5 Comments »
Ford truck sales down, production slowed
Friday, May 23rd, 2008

Ford announced yesterday that due to a shift in consumer demand toward more fuel efficient vehicles, they are reducing production of large trucks.

“We are continuing to make great progress on our plan,” said Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally. “We are profitable and growing outside of North America, and our transformation plan in North America is working. The challenge affecting the entire industry is the accelerating shift in consumer demand away from large trucks and SUVs to smaller cars and crossovers – combined with a steep rise in commodity prices and the weak U.S. economy.”

One has to wonder what will be the Ranger’s future… Ford has announced a few years in a row that the Ranger assembly plant in the Twin Cities will be closing but it hasn’t happened yet. Also, on the Ford Fleet site they’ve said the Ranger will be available during the 2009 model year.What do you think? With people turning to more fuel efficient vehicles, would you consider buying a Ranger to get better gas mileage? That’s one way to keep driving a Ford truck while not paying as much at the pump!