Ford eyes smaller F-150 cousin
Pared-down pickup would boost CAFE
DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. is developing a lightweight, more
fuel-efficient pickup truck to slot in below its flagship F-150.
The new pickup truck, code-named P525, is being engineered on the
F-150's platform. But it will be lighter and slightly smaller, supplier
and industry sources told Automotive News. The pickup is scheduled to go
into production during the first half of 2011 at Ford's Michigan Truck
Plant in Wayne, Mich., sources said.
Ford may call the truck the F-100, bringing back a nameplate used for
decades beginning in the 1950s. The new truck is larger than the Ford
Ranger. But it might help take the place of that compact pickup, which
could go out of production in 2009 when Ford's Twin Cities plant in St.
Paul., Minn., closes. Ford hasn't said whether the Ranger will continue.
The new pickup is in Ford's cycle plan, sources said. But it has not
received final approval.
Mark Fields, Ford president of the Americas, would not confirm plans for
a slimmed-down truck in a recent interview. But he did acknowledge that
Ford must take weight out of its pickup trucks to meet new fuel-economy
standards.
"When you see what the F series makes up in terms of the composition of
our vehicle lineup, clearly that's one area we really have to focus on,"
Fields said.
The new pickup truck will have unique sheet metal and innovative storage
space, sources said. It could be powered by a version of Ford's new V-6
EcoBoost engine, which uses turbocharging and gasoline direct injection.
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