Ford's plans to manufacture the F-100 pickup, its answer for consumers who want a more fuel-efficient pickup, have been shelved (for now). A proposed smaller and lighter sibling to the popular F-150 pickup, the F-100 would have been built at the Michigan Truck Plant in Wayne, Michigan. Instead of designing a new small truck, one that consumers may not have warmed up to in the first place, Ford is reportedly making an "unprecedented" investment in more fuel-efficient powerplants to drop under the hood of the best-selling F-150. According to Ford, much of the funding will be directed towards its EcoBoost engines that utilize turbocharging and direct injection to deliver increased power and efficiency. The company is also looking at a technology called "ethanol boosting" which injects a small amount of the biofuel into the engine to increase fuel economy even further. Investing in new engine technology is expensive, but Ford is counting on reduced warranty costs (they have decreased by $1.2 billion in the past 18 months) to help offset development fees.
While it might not be the prettiest girl at the prom, we're still extremely intrigued by Mahindra's upcoming diesel pickup for the American market. Up until today, we've been referring to the new truck as the Appalachian, though reports now indicate that it will drop that moniker. Apparently, the Indian company wants to highlight its own name in an effort to build some much-needed brand recognition in a market it has never played in before. For that reason, some sort of nondescript name made from numbers and/or letters is to be expected.
Mahindra's newly un-named truck will feature a new four-cylinder diesel engine produced just for the States with help from Bosch and AVL. Power output should hover around 150 horses, though torque is expected to be a massive 300 lb-ft. Coupled with what should be reasonable fuel economy from just 2.2 liters of displacement, we think that Mahindra's new pickup could re-ignite the compact pickup market in no time at all. At least one domestic brand might be thinking the same thing, as this spy shot indicates that one of Detroit's finest brought one over for testing.
Jim Press thinks that there's an emerging market for small, fuel efficient trucks. You know, the kind of trucks his former employer, Toyota, used to build. Press put in 37 years at Toyota, and he saw the evolution of the HiLux into the Tacoma, which is no longer the diminutive hauler it once was. Press owns a second home in Thailand, and observing how trucks are used in that country leads him to believe that there's a worldwide need for a small, versatile pickup. Dodge's Dakota saw its sales drop by one third between 2006 and 2007, and Press thinks that's likely due to buyers shifting to crossovers.
There's not a whole lot of incentive to buy a midsize truck right now – they cost nearly the same as an entry level full sizer, the mileage is only marginally better, and the size differential isn't that great. We can recall two Dodge concept pickups of the recent past that we think buyers who miss the small pickup market might take a liking to. First, there's the 2006 Dodge Rampage Concept, which packed a lot of utility in a small footprint. Then there's the 2002 Dodge M80 Concept, one of the few Chrysler concepts that got a great reception but wasn't produced. Put the M80 into production on a unibody platform with some unique powertrain options, Jim. Trust us, you won't be sorry.
