Next Gen F150 Will Ditch Caveman Marketing

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

While GM is pushing its “evolutionary” styled new pickups with tried and true marketing, touting brawn and toughness, Ford will go with a less macho approach. It will push fuel economy for its next-generation F-150 pickups. For that, marketing has to be preceded by engineering. Ford will make its trucks shed between 700 and 750 pounds of weight for a 15 to 20 percent better fuel economy, says a report by Reuters.

The 2015 Ford F-150, which will go on sale in late 2014, “will be a game-changer that will alter the dynamics of the truck segment,” Reuters heard from an insider. “They’re shooting for best-in-class fuel economy.”

The weight reduction will largely come from an extensive use of aluminum for doors, fenders, cab and tailgate. Major chassis components will be redesigned to reduce weight.

The trucks will later be powered by a new family of highly efficient engines, currently being developed under the internal program code Nano. Small-displacement V6 engines will employ Ford’s EcoBoost technology, including turbocharging and direct injection.

The first of the Nano engines, a 2.9-liter V6, will not appear until 2016 or later, the report says. A new family of hybrid gasoline-electric engines, jointly developed with Toyota, will help meet tougher emissions and fuel-economy standards.

The F-series and its SUV derivatives account for more than 90 percent of Ford’s global profit, analysts says.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Supremebrougham Supremebrougham on Dec 14, 2012

    So is it just me, or does the truck in the pic above, other than the mirror, dipping door glass and current-look headlights, look an awful lot like the 1997-2003 F-150?

    • IHateCars IHateCars on Dec 17, 2012

      Agreed....even the wheels look to be from the '97 - '03 gen. Perhaps this is an old spy pic from the redesign for the '04 F-150? The lamenting for the days gone by amuses me as well. Pick ups are too big now? Really? Too many features? Wow. When I compare my new SuperCrew to the truck I drove in the early '90s....no contest, I'll take the new one.

  • 95_SC 95_SC on Dec 15, 2012

    Fleet trucks don't get involved in a lot of wrecks (as drivers of said trucks tend to get fired). However IF Ford can deliver on the fuel economy I guarentee fleet managers will take notice. You might have to pay for body damage, but you will certainly have to put gas in it.

  • MK MK on Dec 17, 2012

    Meh, haters gonna hate. Once I settle the family into the 09 f150 supercrew and drive for 13 hours with plenty of room for people, luggage, DVD player, bluetooth, multi adjustable heated and cooled seats and tow package...well I sure as hell won't be going back to a std cab ranger. Mileage for my f150 5.4 is about 16.2 doing 80mph. Mileage for my 04 ranger auto 4.0 was about 17.8 at the same speed. There's NO comparison in ride quality, comfort and towing ability. Despite diesel-wagon enthusiast pogroms, there's plenty of reasons people buy these that have very little to do with marketing, Especially if you're not living in a loft downtown.

  • Roland Roland on Dec 17, 2012

    I now drive a std cab Ranger. Most of my driving is on the steep, winding, 2-lane highways of interior British Columbia. I get 30 mpg hwy with the 2.3 L auto. The Ranger's considerably easier to parallel park in the city than a full-size p/u. It's also easier to get it turned around on an old logging or mining road in the mountains. 20 years ago I drove an 1980 F-150 with a 302 V-8. I never found it cramped or underpowered. I prefer a plastickey interior. I actually wish my Ranger was MORE utilitarian. I am a bona fide driver of pickups who thinks that today's pickups are much less efficient than they could be and should be.

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