During the recent North America International Automobile Show in January, 2013 in Detroit, Ford spotlighted their new truck series touting better fuel efficiency and more truck options. Watch the below video as the cars were introduced during their press conference.
Their line-up includes the Transit Connect, a new compact van built for entrepreneurs that are fuel efficient and tough enough to take some hard knocks. The truck offers 2000 pounds towing capacity with 1600 pounds of payload, and a 30+ miles per gallon based with the 1.6 liter eco-boost engine.
They also debuted the improved Transit, a larger truck with a 25% more fuel economy than previous e-series, 3 power train options, and 500 cubic feet of volume for cargo.
In addition Ford announced they are reinvesting a billion dollars in retooling their Kansas City assembling plant which will add 1600 hourly jobs so they can deliver world class commercial vans.
The last truck they featured was their F-150 series pick-up, Ford Atlas Concept. I have to tell you it is one sexy truck. The Burlington Press reports:
“The F-series trucks, including heavy-duty F-250 and F-350 models, are the best-selling vehicles of any kind in the U.S. and account for most of Ford’s worldwide profits. Ford’s not shy about defining the trucks even more broadly. CEO Alan Mulally: ‘The F-Series is the heart and soul of America.'”
Watch at 9 minute mark in the video the way Ford debuts the car. It is quite impressive with all the bells and whistles.
According to Ford, the Ford Atlas takes fuel efficiency and aerodynamics to a new level. In addition, the car offers faster trailer hook ups and taking the guess work out of backing up with a trailer hitched to the back.
For more details about the trucks, watch the below video. Looking forward to your thoughts about Ford’s revamp of its commercial truck line.
Join the Conversation:
- Do you drive a truck? What do you think of the Ford’s new line up?
- Which features do you like best in the truck line up.
Disclaimer: Ford paid for my air travel and accommodations to attend the NAIAS show and their factory. All opinions are my own.
A more interesting question is whether this is evidence that the vehicle fuel economy and CO2 efficiency standards are not significantly “biting” yet. Ford did adopt a novel strategy by reducing weight instead of the more classic “horsepower wars”, but the net result is still the same – much of the efficiency improvement was traded off to the performance and payload wars.
Will adding towing and hauling capacity that most truck buyers didn’t know they “needed” lead to inflated expectations that might prove problematic a few years from now, when the manufacturers are supposed to meet even higher standards? That could be disappointing, although it is extremely likely that without efficiency standards, this performance war would be even more intense.
Interesting points. What do you suggest they do, Gokhan? Anna