Ford’s New and Upcoming Baby Pickup: P525

What with the soaring of gas prices these days, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the maker of America’s beloved pickup truck, Ford, is planning on not one but two compact size pickup trucks.

One of the said compact pickup trucks is based on the F-150. It has the code name of P525 but may be badged as F-100. If you remember (or if you know your Ford history), the F-100 is the prototype of the F-150 way back during the 1950s. Ford is getting rid of the V8 engine for the P525. Now they are planning to tuck a four-cylinder, V-6 EcoBoost engine under its hood (as an option, of course). It has gas direct injection, as well as turbocharging. But what about the other compact pickup truck? The second small pickup truck is based on the Ford Ranger.

The new Ranger has the code name “T6” and is known as the global Ranger. It will be manufactured in Thailand but will be imported from South Africa due to “chicken tax” issues. Another possible location for the manufacturing of the T6 is Australia. After all, it is exempted from the so-called chicken tax.

It is known to the public that Ford is currently struggling with the dip in their sales for their F-Series pickup trucks. Gas prices continue to shoot up and Ford better counter-attack this issue. Could these two compact pickup trucks do the trick?

source: Motor Trend

Sales of Ford Trucks Take a Plunge

It’s no secret that sales of pickup trucks have seen a dip recently. Nowadays, people seem to want more compact cars. One of the factors of this phenomenon is the worsening of the prices of gas. Ford Motor Co. is one of the companies whose decline in their truck sales has hit them hard. The sales of the once popular pickup truck (namely the F-Series) had taken a nosedive. About a year ago, Ford had enjoyed the triumph of being able to sell 228,623 units of cars and trucks. This year is a completely different story. Sales plummeted by 12.2%. This means that only 22,727 units of vehicles (both cars and trucks) were sold. Although the sales of cars weren’t affected, the sales of the trucks were distressed. Car sales actually took a spike by 21% this year. Ironically enough, America’s most favored pickup truck was reported to have a decline in sales by 21%. Even their SUV sales had been lowered by 36% this year.

Ford Motor Co. has been looking into things that would help boost their truck sales. You might have heard of the Ford Work Solutions. It’s all about technology-based features that make work easier and more convenient for drivers and truck owners alike.

On to a more cheerful note: Car sales increased a lot. The new Ford Focus immensely enjoyed amplified sales by 43.5% as compared to last year. Also, the Ford Fusion sedan had a 22.4% sales increase this year.

source: Market Watch

The New 2008 Ford Super Duty Begins Production at Kentucky

The production for the much awaited 2008 Ford Super Duty had already started and it took place at the Ford Motor Co.’s Kentucky Truck Plant located some place near Louisville. It was said that the popular vehicle manufacturer invested $65 million (U.S. dollars) in order to back the inauguration of the new power pickup.

The new pickup truck is powered by an impressive 6.4-liter PowerStroke V8 Turbodiesel engine. 350 horsepower and a whopping 650 lb.-ft. of torque are given off by the all-new PowerStroke diesel engine. More power, better performance. That’s what its dual-stage turbochargers are able to produce. More good news: It uses the Ford Clean Diesel Technology. The Diesel Particulate Filter effectively traps soot particles, giving you nothing to worry about when it comes to harmful particles damaging your engine. Due to its optimization, it is able to give a cleaner burn with little odor. This contributes to a longer-lasting emissions system. No doubt about it: This diesel engine is the cleanest truck diesel ever made. More good things about the Super Duty are the following:

- a smoother, cleaner burn
- noticeable decrease in the clutter of the engine
- robust acceleration
- a cooling system that is more reliable

You can drive easily and smoothly with this pickup truck, as its sturdy frame manages to hold up a structure that is made for a better ride and an even better handling. Other enhancements made and added are the optional reverse Camera System, a DVD-based navigation system, and additional power points to give you the greatest convenience. It isn’t just the outside that’s improved. The exterior of this monster truck features the Stowable Bed Extender, giving you more space and support. It’s made of tough materials, ensuring that your cargo is kept safe and secured. There’s also the useful integrated tail gate step which gives you easier access.

The new 2008 Ford Super Duty seems promising. It has everything: Reliability, capability, and style. It seems as if Ford is really bent on being America’s best-selling vehicle for the 30th successive year.

source and photo: Ford Motor Company

The All-New Features for Ford Pickup Trucks

Ford Motor Company understands what it means being on the go almost all the time. It is because of this that they have decided to install new key features for the benefit of Ford pickup truck drivers.



The all-new Work Solutions Programs makes it possible for drivers to be able to attend to their tasks at hand even while on the road and away from their offices. One of the anticipated added features for the 2009 F-Series pickup trucks is the in-dash computer. Along with this is the battery-operated printer. This will also be made available for the commercial vans as well. The computer comes with high-speed internet connection provided by Sprint Mobile Broadband Network. The computer itself is powered by Microsoft Auto. This piece of technology is reported to have a 6.5-inch touch screen with high resolution, a memory that is worth two gigs, memory access for more data storage, a USB port, and wireless mouse and keyboard for an easier handling of the computer.



For a quick rundown of what’s included in the package of the exciting new Work Solutions Program of Ford, here is the list:

- RDI tool tracking (included in the computer system)
- Vehicle maintenance tracking (included in the computer system)
- Integrated in-bed security system
- Tool Link (a tracking system designed for keeping a real-time inventory of tools or equipment stowed in the pickup box)
- Crew Chief (“telematics and diagnostics system” for easier management of the owners’ fleet of vehicles)
- Cable Lock (for better security system)

source: American Agriculturist

Ford Plans to Grow Sales in Vietnam

In spite of the dip in their sales last month, Ford Motor Company is more determined that ever to strengthen their sales. One of the steps they took was an investment in an assembly plant located at Haiduong and is said to be worth $10 million (US). With the help of Ford Vietnam’s Haiduong assembly, the capacity for yearly production is expected to increase by 35 percent.

The President of Ford ASEAN has already commented regarding the assembly plant: ““This additional investment highlights the growing significance of Vietnam in our continued expansion and overall strategy for the Asia Pacific and Africa region. We're very optimistic about Ford's long-term potential in Vietnam… Our Vietnam strategy is aligned with our resources and operations in the region, and will allow us to continue delivering high quality Ford products that are built for ASEAN, and specifically Vietnamese consumers.”

The Haiduong plant is the place where the Ford Mondeo, Ford Focus, Ford Everest, Ford Escape SUVs, Ford Ranger pickup, and the Ford Transit van are being currently assembled. The company’s aim to build vehicles which are made with quality and would provide real value for the consumers in Vietnam is in line with their main concern when it comes to the expansion and optimization of their local market investment

source: Auto Report

Three Best Ford Pickup Trucks

The Ford pick up trucks have forever been popular. Although there’s been a dip in their sales, it’s still worth it to take a look at some of the well-loved and best trucks that’s built Ford tough. The first one mentioned by Dale Wickell in About.com is this year’s 2008 Ford F-Series Pickup Trucks. Built for tough hauling and a powerful performance, the F-150 series of pickup trucks remains to be a mass favorite. Offered in various models and different trims, from the Harley-Davidson truck to the Super Duty Diesel to the recent Foose edition truck, this certain pickup truck series is apparently designed for comfort and convenience. The packages available for each model makes sure of that. There’s even the talk of adding enhanced technology in the trucks, called Ford Work Solutions, to make things even easier for the truck owners. It’s an application and integration of advanced technology that will help ease truck owners to keep track of their business details and schedules.

The next one on the list is the Ford Ranger pickup trucks. This compact pickup truck from Ford actually has better gas mileage rating compared to the others in its class. It’s more raw compared to the larger F-150 but comes equipped with the basic necessities. The FX4 Rangers trim is offered for people who want something sportier and has loads of added features.

The F-150 pickup truck and Explorer SUV is clearly fused in the 2008 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. This model comes in 10 different trims. It actually rated high in the Yahoo! Autos. The Sport Trac has a couple of new features thrown in, such as the Ford Sync hands-free communications and entertainment system. New features and options in the name of safety was added as well.

For more information regarding the article, feel free to visit the linked source below.

source: about.com

Ford Takes Technology Even Further

Technology has always been an advantage for Ford Motor Co. and this time around is no exception. Tapping into the same technology that movies use, such as in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy with Gollum, Ford was able to improve three things: the amount of time in visualizing a vehicle was lessened, there’s an obvious drop in development costs and lastly, the quality was improved. This new approach with the help of computers improved quality by 11 percent last year.

Each and every part of the assembly process makes use of this new approach. They even have Jack and Jill, the highly developed virtual workers. Jack and Jill aid them in calculating the outcome of the ergonomic effect in terms of continuous recurring action. These two have been making notable changes in terms of health and safety, as well as quality.

Enhancements to digital ergonomics are one of Ford’s aims. This started way back in 2000 and has been steadily contributing to the improvement of Ford vehicles. Ergonomics specialist Allison Stephens said, “We can design out problems… You can then optimize the human so that they can do it car after car without fatigue or injury.”

With the constant take on advanced technologies, the company seems determined to improve in more ways than one – from its factories to its employees right up to their vehicles.

Source: detnews.com