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Ford product planners became more than a little concerned over the long term future of the company cash cow, the F-150 pickup. Although the all-new F-150, then undergoing final testing before launch, was a careful evolution of a highly successful formula, no-one knew whether that meant much anymore.

In May, as the average price of a gallon of gas neared $4.00, the F-150 was knocked off the top of the monthly sales charts for the first time in 17 years, outsold by Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry, and Honda Accord. That sent a chill through Dearborn: Ford's product planners knew that for most of the 30-plus years the F-150 had reigned as America's -- the world's - best selling vehicle, gas had cost $2 a gallon or less. The world had changed. America was changing. Maybe the F-150 would have to change, too.

The solution wasn't rocket science: develop a pickup truck that was smaller and lighter. The product planners looked at three options -- adapting the T6 Ranger pickup being developed by The T6 Ranger was discounted because it was simply too small. A D4-based unibody truck looked costly and time consuming. That left a lighter truck built around the new F-150 hardware.

The more the product planners looked at it, the more appealing the idea appeared. The new Ford F-150 frame, designed to deliver maximum towing and payload capacity, was stoutly engineered, and therefore heavy. A revised frame, built to the smaller 126 in. and 133 in. F-150 wheelbases (which would allow a regular cab model with a 6.5 ft bed and a Supercab model with a 5.5 ft bed) and optimized for lower towing and payload, could be made lighter. Lighter wheels, tires, and suspension components could be used.

Body-on-frame construction mean a unique cab and front clip could be relatively inexpensively engineered. The F-150 beds could be carried over. Powertrains would be Ecoboost four cylinder and V-6 turbos. The V-6 looked especially promising -- even in a relatively mild state of tune the 3.7-liter turbo could pump out more power and torque than the F-150's base V-8.

The Ford F-150 could tow 11,300 lb, more than anything in its class. They reasoned that if the F-100 was to be Ford truck tough it, too, would need an impressive towing number. They picked, quite arbitrarily, say my sources, 7500 lb. That pushed up the overall vehicle weight. It pushed up cost. It killed engine choices. And in the end, it killed the F-100, too, when Kuzak and marketing boss Jim Farley rightly concluded that suddenly they didn't have the 21st century, $4-a-gallon pickup truck they thought they once had.

© Source: motortrend
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(from H&R Press Release) Ford F-150 pickup trucks continue to be the number one selling vehicle in the U.S. and you can safely say that theirs is the greatest American automotive phenomenon—the new 2009 Ford F-150 is no exception. The newest addition to the Ford lineup has more model variations than ever before, promises more power and efficiency, and is looking to set a new standard in fulfilling driver needs and desires. Our team at H&R Special Springs decided it was the perfect canvas for us to demonstrate its opportunities for personalization. Our vision for the F-150 reflects its versatility. Ford says the F-150 is built for you, and we took them at their word to create a project vehicle that is our take on a classic American hot-rod truck—and, with some ready available aftermarket parts, we created a truck that is truly original and unique.

First things first, suspension. Though it is uncommon to lower a 4-wheel drive pickup truck, we did. In keeping with our goal of creating a unique vehicle, we lowered the F-150 3 inches in the front and 4.5 inches in the rear using our H&R Sport Cup Kit prototype—improving handling and increasing ride comfort. The F-150 has a perfect stance, and hauls in turns come rain or shine. In order to go fast, you must be able to brake fast. We have upgraded the rotors with slotted and drilled Baer DecelaRotors as they increase stopping power and have a dynamic visual appearance. Adding to our truck’s hot-rod theme, and borrowing from the 1970’s, we have painted the factory calipers gold.

Now, throw on your safety glasses to protect your retinas from the awesome, custom built Forgeline VRP3 alloy wheels. Forgeline has precision built the lightweight wheels to custom fit this project—with matte black centers and exclusive, transparent red outer rim finishes wrapped by some of the largest Pirelli Scorpion Zero Asimetrico tires available. This tire and wheel package is ready to rumble. We cannot get enough them—and the vivid red perfectly compliments the vehicle’s Blue Flame exterior.

The new 2009 Ford F-150 has exceeded our expectations, once again. Its versatility, combined with its practicality and rich automotive heritage, make it impossible to ignore. Whether attracting attention on Main Street or your favorite off-road path, the H&R Ford F-150 will stand out as an original and functional vehicle that offers great potential for matching individual style and performance preferences—a true American classic.

© Source: seriouswheels
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True truck owners, those who need to buy pickups for towing and hauling, need the practicality of a truck, but like everyone else, would like to use less fuel. Unlike the commuters who haul air in their trucks, true truck users don't have the option of swapping their pickups for economy cars.

The obvious solution has been for manufacturers to start putting diesel engines into their light-duty pickup trucks, but the large price difference between regular unleaded and diesel, often about a dollar per gallon, has caused a rethink of that plan. Ford says it has put off (at least for a couple years) its previously announced plan to offer a diesel in the F-150 in 2010.

Instead, the company is developing a V-6 EcoBoost engine for the F-150 which employs turbocharging and direct-injection - a design that Ford says will deliver similar power to a V-8 engine - all while using less gas.

Such engines are cheaper to build than diesels -- less than $1000 more costly than a conventional V-8 in comparison to the $4000 or $5000 price tag of a diesel engine, according to Ford. That thousand bucks buys you more power, expected to top the targets of 340 horsepower and 340 pound-feet of torque from the 3.5-liter turbo V-6, compared with the 320 and 390 for today's 5.4-liter Triton V-8.

It will also return 15-20 percent better mileage, Ford engineers predict. That extrapolates to 16 mpg city/23 highway for the EcoBoost engine, compared with 13 and 18 for the V-8 today. EcoBoost-powered F-150s will arrive in showrooms in 2010 for the 2011 model year.

© Source: motortrend
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