A bitingly cold wind is sweeping through the Motor City this day, but the bigger chill continues to be the rapidly increasing number of idle plants from Detroit's automakers. As part of a previously-announced bid to trim first-quarter output by nearly 38%, Ford now says it will shut down ten North American factories the week of January 5. Unlike Chrysler's planned one month downtime (where they eerily won't commit to start dates), the Blue Oval has confirmed plans to re-light the fires in eight of those plants beginning the week of January 12.
That means that during the week of January 5, Ford's only active North American plants will be in Dearborn (F-150), and Kansas City (F-150, Escape/Mercury Mariner). The week of January 12 will see all facilities up save Hermosillo, Mexico (Fusion, Milan, Lincoln MKZ) and Oakville, Ontario, where the Flex, Edge, and MKX are built. Ford is angling to cut down its quarterly output to just 430,000 vehicles, and shutdowns at staggered intervals are expected to continue throughout early next year.
Ford's reported decision to put its long-awaited light-duty diesel truck engine on ice for the time being could well be a result of slowing truck sales and the rising cost of diesel fuel. Indeed, the Blue Oval's pickup sales are down by about 27% compared to last year and are a far cry from what they were a few short years ago. That downward trend in sales is partly blamed on the recent rise in fuel prices, and diesel fuel has outpaced gasoline in its upward spiral. So, while diesel engines are inherently more fuel efficient than those running on gasoline, that pricing difference is usually only made up when a truck is used for heavy hauling and towing – one reason the expensive oil-burners prove so popular in the largest of trucks. Ford's not so sure any longer that drivers of its non Super-Duty trucks want or need a smaller diesel engine option. So, for now, Ford's 4.4-liter diesel V8 has been shelved. Though not in the full-size truck segment for nearly as long, Toyota's Tundra has seen sales declines much steeper than the pickups from Ford, and the Japanese automaker has also put its diesel V8 on hold. General Motors is still on track to launch its 4.5-liter oil-burner, as is Chrysler with a Cummins-built 5.0-liter turbodiesel V8. These relatively small diesels are expected to average about 25% better fuel economy than their gasoline brethren while offering a power improvement of 10-15%. Ford believes it can offer similar performance benefits with its EcoBoost series of engines, one of which is slated for the F-Series trucks in 2010, for a smaller surcharge. We'll see.
Ford announced earlier this summer that it would delay the launch of its ultra-important F150 full-size truck by a few months to help dealers clear out left over 2008 inventory. For the record, the new truck's launch was originally scheduled for October before being moved to December. Finally, Ford has split the difference and will begin marketing its F150 in November. Jim Farley, main marketer at the Blue Oval, cites two main reasons for the revised decision. One: its dealerships culled their old supply faster than anticipated, and two: Dodge just launched its new-for-'09 Ram. Ford obviously doesn't want its cross-town rival to steal all its thunder. Expectations for the new F150 seem appropriately timid. Current market conditions, including the relatively high price of fuel and the difficulty in securing credit, mean the the days of Ford selling a million trucks a year are over. Still, there is a large market left of users who depend on their trucks for work, and Ford's targeting them. We'll see how it goes beginning next month.
More news on the Raptor front today. PickupTrucks.com just published a spy shot of a camo'd F-150 Raptor that at first glance adds nothing new to the puzzle. Closer inspection reveals that the semi-transparent covering actually exposes the basic look of the sporty F-150's grille, which purportedly has the Ford name emblazoned very large across a center bar. The truck was recently spotted on the streets of Vegas during the Ford Dealer Show. According to those in the know, Ford marketing boss Jim Farley unveiled the off-road-ready F-150 at that meeting, even showing a video of the mule throwing sand in the desert.
We're becoming more certain every day that the Raptor will use the 6.2L "Boss" V8 with a power output of between 380 and 420 horsepower. If the F-150 Raptor ends up wearing an SVT product as we suspect, we're betting the final power output being closer to the latter rather the former. Besides seeing the mule in action and hearing about the powertrain, dealers were also shown one of the Raptor's footlong-travel shocks, built exclusively for the Raptor by Fox Racing. Coupled with 35-inch all-terrain tires, this should be one badass, Baja-ready pickup.
For years, the success of vehicles such as the Ford F-Series pickups and Explorer SUV kept the Blue Oval brand from improving its line of mostly uncompetitive sedans. Automakers like Honda, though, never went the way of body-on-frame trucks and SUVs, preferring instead to continually improve its range of cars and crossover utility vehicles. That strategy is paying dividends in these days of high fuel prices, and Ford has taken notice. Asked whether he would prefer a more car-oriented model-mix, like that of Honda or Toyota, CEO Alan Mullaly recently answered, "Absolutely. We just don't have enough of those small or medium-sized vehicles yet, and that's what we need to concentrate on." Of course, all is not lost. As Automotive News points out, Ford has a new F-150 on the horizon, which is likely to improve its sales somewhat, and the brand as a whole has sold 647,140 vehicles, placing it well above Honda through April. Profitability, on the other hand, is another matter entirely.
Could the reign of Ford's F-Series atop the sales charts in the U.S. come to an end? Some believe that it could indeed happen, and it's not even another pickup truck that is threatening the Blue Oval's bread-and-butter full-size pickup, it's the Toyota Camry. Let that sink in for a moment... alright, let's continue. The Camry already posted better sales numbers than the Chevy Silverado, the perennial second-best seller to the F-Series, for the month of April. In fact, the Silverado suffered a sales drop of 24.7 percent to 37,231 units while the Camry grabbed 40,016 sales in the same month. Still, even after the Camry's great sales month, the Silverado holds the edge when the entire year-to-date sales numbers are compiled, and the F Series still sits atop the list for now. Consider too that the Ford truck will get a major redesign for the upcoming model year. So, while high gas prices will likely continue to put pressure on full-size pickups, let's not jump to hasty conclusions just yet.
We talked to Ford Powertrain boss Dan Kapp to better understand why diesel engines are inherently more efficient than petrol engines, and we also discussed how and where Ford will be using diesel going forward. Hit play on the video above to take a look.
The Ford F-Series has been the top-selling vehicle longer than most of us at Autoblog have been alive, and the Blue Oval designed the new 2009 F-150 to help keep that streak alive. In 2009, several new additions will be made to Ford's best-seller, including an easy access step for the pickup bed, a flat-load back seat, an improved powertrain lineup, and a new frame that features more high-strength steel. The truck experts at PickupTruck.com spent a whole day with F-Series Chief Engineer Matt O'Leary and Design Director Pat Schiavone, and the fruit of their labor is eight videos that detail every square inch of Ford's most important product. We've added a walk-through tour of the interior of the new F-150 Platinum after the jump, and you can click the Read link below to view videos ranging from tow information to design inspiration at PickupTruck.com.
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We already brought you official photography of the newly-revamped 2009 Ford F-150 just after midnight today, but that's hardly enough attention for America's best-selling vehicle. Now that the Blue Oval boys have rolled out the new truck into Cobo Arena - with help from Toby Keith and a cast of characters - we see little reason to think that the F-series won't retain its crown.
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The full-size pickup market may be shrinking in sales, but it's more competitive than ever. With the introduction of the 2009 Dodge Ram and this truck, the 2009 Ford F-150, the segment is filled to the brim with modern, next-gen pickups. The best-selling F-150, however, is looking to keep its crown with the introduction of the 2009 model. Like any next-gen truck worth its salt, the '09 F-150 is pretty much better in every way.
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