Next Ford F-Series to go on diet, make extensive use of aluminum
Filed under: Truck, Technology, Ford
Ford may turn to aluminum body panels on the company's F-Series pickup trucks in an effort to reduce weight. According to Ward's Auto, the next-generation F-Series is set to debut in 2014 and will likely feature aluminum fenders and door skins. The news comes courtesy of two unnamed sources close to the vehicle's development. Right now, the next-gen F-Series is rolling through Ford halls under the name P552, and while the automaker is reticent to go on the record about aluminizing its best-selling model, executives have made it clear that weight-savings is a major priority.
Derrick Kuzak, Ford's Group Vice President of Global Product Development, has previously said the company intends to cut up to 700 pounds per model by 2019. Ditching stamped steel body panels for aluminum would be a good start. Ford has already dabbled in aluminum hoods on both the F-Series and Explorer, and the material is expected to find greater use across automakers in the near future as companies brace for stiffer Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards.
Next Ford F-Series to go on diet, make extensive use of aluminum originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsThese are Detroit automakers’ top-selling vehicles of 2011
Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, SUV, Truck, Etc., Crossover, Hatchback, Chrysler, Ford, GM
The numbers are officially in for 2011, and once again, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler sold more pickup trucks than any other model. The Ford F-Series was the top-selling vehicle through November of last year with 516,639 units rolling off of dealer lots. That number handily trounces the Chevrolet Silverado in second place with 367,343 units sold. The Ford Escape and Ford Fusion fell into third and fourth places, respectively, leaving Ram Trucks to fill out the top five domestic automaker-built vehicles, with 218,750 units.
All told, GM took five spots on the list while Ford walked away with four. Chrysler only managed to crack the top 10 with its Ram offerings. Overall, American automakers sold over 1 million pickup trucks last year, proving that in the land of (still) cheap fuel, The pickup truck remains king. Hit the jump for the complete top 10 list, complete with sales figures through November.
Continue reading These are Detroit automakers' top-selling vehicles of 2011
These are Detroit automakers' top-selling vehicles of 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsWinners of second annual SEMA Awards announced
Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Chevrolet, Ford, Jeep, Fiat
The suspensions are lowered, the dubs are mounted and the votes are tabulated: with the SEMA show in full swing, organizers have announced their top pics for the show.
Rather than name the top tuned cars, the SEMA Awards name the best cars for tuning, in several categories. And so, the winners of the second annual SEMA Awards are...
The hottest car overall is awarded to the Chevrolet Camaro (like the Hot Wheels concept pictured above), the hottest sport-compact is the Fiat 500, the hottest SUV goes to the Jeep Wrangler, and the hottest truck has been named as the Ford F-Series.
All the award recipients are domestics, save for the Fiat 500, and even that is effectively a Chrysler product made in Mexico. So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Now crack open your aftermarket parts catalogs and have at 'em.
Winners of second annual SEMA Awards announced originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsReader Spy: U.S. Border Patrol finally gets its leatherless Ford Raptors
Filed under: Truck, Government/Legal, Work, Ford, Off-Road
U.S. Border Patrol Ford Raptors being delivered - Click above for image gallery
What the U.S. Federal Government wants, the U.S. Federal Government gets. And what the Customs and Border Protection division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wanted were at least 10 Ford SVT Raptor pickup trucks to patrol the area where Arizona borders with Mexico. Only problem is that Ford puts a standard leather interior in all its Raptor trucks, which is evidently against the ordering preferences of the Feds.
So, what to do? Put in an extra-special order with Ford, make a few phone calls (give us what we want... or else...) and patiently await delivery - a truckload of specially liveried pickups that Autoblog reader Matt happened photograph and send in to us. We went ahead and contacted Ford to be sure that it managed to deliver the authorities the Raptors it wanted, and we got an affirmative... sort of.
Ford would need the actual Vehicle Identification Numbers of the trucks to confirm individual equipment levels, and we're not about to march on down to Southern Arizona to grab them. But Ford says the Feds did order Raptors without leather and that the Blue Oval Bosses complied. So we're going with a definite probably. Have a look for yourself below. Thanks for the pics, Matt!
Reader Spy: U.S. Border Patrol finally gets its leatherless Ford Raptors originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsChevy Camaro, Ford F-Series and Jeep Wrangler named ‘hottest’ vehicles of SEMA
Filed under: Aftermarket, Concept Cars, Coupe, SUV, Truck, Chevrolet, Ford, Jeep, Design/Style
2011 Chevrolet Camaros on display at SEMA - Click above for high-res image gallery
SEMA has created an award for Hottest Car, Truck and 4x4 at this year's show, and the honor is bestowed upon a specific model in each category, which are not only favorites of the various tuners and customizers in attendance, but are deemed by SEMA organizers as the most accessory-friendly new models on the market.
For the inaugural award, the SEMA heads have selected the Chevrolet Camaro, Ford F-Series pickup and the Jeep Wrangler. Hop the jump to read the full press release, and be sure to take a look at some examples of each winner in the galleries below.
Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips and Jonathon Ramsey / AOL
[Source: SEMA]
Continue reading Chevy Camaro, Ford F-Series and Jeep Wrangler named 'hottest' vehicles of SEMA
Chevy Camaro, Ford F-Series and Jeep Wrangler named 'hottest' vehicles of SEMA originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsVideo: Drag racing Ford’s V6-powered F-150s
Filed under: Truck, Videos, Ford
PickupTrucks.com drag races Ford's newest V6 F-150s - Click above to watch video after the jump
Ford has created an exciting lineup of engines for the 2011 F-150. From the 6.2-liter V8 and Coyote 5.0 down to the 3.7-liter V6 and turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost, it's pretty much impossible to make a bad choice. Our friends at PickupTrucks.com currently have the keys to both of the V6 models, and they are putting them through the paces for their Work Truck Shootout. That story isn't quite ready yet, but in the meantime, Editor Mike Levine decided to run them down the strip at Michigan's Milan Dragway.
The resulting times are very interesting. The naturally-aspirated 3.7, which produces 302 horsepower and 278 pound-feet of torque, made the quarter-mile trip in 15.87 seconds with a trap speed of 87.69 miles per hour. The more powerful EcoBoost, which boasts 365 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque, needed just 14.67 seconds to cover the quarter-mile, crossing the lights at 94.6 mph. Interestingly, both of the times for the V6 engines were quicker than all of the figures for half-ton V8 trucks tested during the site's 2008 Light-Duty Shootout.
You've just read about them, so why don't you hop over the jump and watch them run down the strip.
Photos copyright (C)2010 Jeremy Korzeniewski / AOL and Ford Motor Company
[Source: PickupTrucks.com]
Continue reading Video: Drag racing Ford's V6-powered F-150s
Video: Drag racing Ford's V6-powered F-150s originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsFord F-150 gets in on the SEMA fun
Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Truck, Ford
Ford has a history of showing off some wild concepts at SEMA, and this year the company has partnered with six different aftermarket companies to unveil a slew of F-Series concepts worked up just for SEMA 2010. The trucks range from slammed machines from the likes of Godfather Customs and The Custom Shop to a rock-crawling behemoth built by the minds at Mickey Thompson. There's even a mobile pit station based on the F-150's big brother, F-350. That machine has been built by Cars by Kris and Airhead Kustoms.Judging from what we've seen so far, our favorite of the bunch has to be the wicked F-350 built by Skyjacker Suspensions. The truck wears a full 8.5-inches of suspension lift, massive Fab Fours bumpers front and rear and a Warn wench for pulling lesser machines from sticky situations. Sounds like a good time to us. Hit the jump for the full press release.
[Source: Ford]
Continue reading Ford F-150 gets in on the SEMA fun
Ford F-150 gets in on the SEMA fun originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments2011 Ford F-150 to achieve up to 23 MPG
2011 Ford F-150 - Click above for high-res image gallery
As we said shortly after driving Ford's latest F-150 pickup trucks, we think the Dearborn automaker has the very best range of powertrain options in the segment for 2011. One of the engines we are most impressed with is the 3.7-liter V6 that now serves as the base powerplant in the F-150, but until now, we didn't have final EPA fuel economy figures.
Well, that's been rectified, as Ford has announced that the 302-horsepower 3.7 will serve up 16 miles per gallon in the city and 23 on the highway in rear-wheel drive models, the latter figure making it the most fuel-efficient full-size pickup on the market. Stepping up the next rung to the 5.0-liter V8 will get you 360 horses and a fine 15 city, 21 highway EPA fuel economy rating, another best-in-class figure.
There are two more optional engines in the 2011 F-150. The top rung, 411-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 will deliver 12 mpg in the city and 17 on the highway. That's not exactly stellar mileage, and it's actually one mpg lower in both categories compared to General Motors' 6.2-liter V8, but we're expecting much better figures from the 3.5-liter EcoBoost, which matches the 6.2's 11,300-pound tow rating and 3,060-pound payload.
Sadly, we still have to wait for final EPA mileage certification on the twin-turbo V6 mill. In the meantime, feel free to hit the break to read Ford's latest press release touting its F-150 fuel economy figures.
Live photos copyright (C)2010 Jeremy Korzeniewski / AOL and Ford Motor Company
[Source: Ford]
2011 Ford F-150 to achieve up to 23 MPG originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Oct 2010 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsOfficial: Ford 6.7-liter PowerStroke gets 800 lb-ft as of next week, upgrades available
Filed under: Truck, Work, Ford, GM, Diesel
2011 Ford Super Duty pickup - Click above for high-res image gallery
Ford has made it official: beginning with next week's production, the 6.7-liter PowerStroke turbo diesel in the 2011 Ford Super Duty pickup will be upgraded to 400 horsepower and 800 pound-feet of torque. That's a bump of 10 hp and a jump of 65 lb-ft, enough to leapfrog General Motors' 6.6-liter Duramax by 3 hp and 35 lb-ft. Or, to put more bluntly, enough to run over the Duramax on its way to the top of the heavy duty engine heap.
Further, at the end of August, the Super Duty's frame will be strengthened, upping its payload rating by 550 pounds (to 7,070), which will also increase its fifth-wheel tow rating by 1,000 pounds to 22,600.
Although not much can be done for your tow rating if you bought a Super Duty as soon as it hit the showroom, you can get the power upgrade from your suddenly feeble 635 torques. For one year starting on August 31, 2010, will be able to take their pickups into Ford dealers and get their engines tweaked to the new standard. Since there's no hardware involved, Ford says it should take just 20 minutes to get the reflash job done - learn more with the official press release after the jump.
Photos by Rex Roy / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
[Sources: Ford, Detroit News]
Official: Ford 6.7-liter PowerStroke gets 800 lb-ft as of next week, upgrades available originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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