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.

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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

The Ford Foose Limited Edition: The Fastest Half-Ton Truck

“We asked Chip Foose to design a tough, muscular street rod based on the Ford F-150 FX2 Sport pickup that will knock the socks off even the most hard-core boulevard cruiser fan… And let’s make it available in less than a year before the 2007 SEMA show,” the Ford Truck group marketing manager, Ben Poore, had said. Chip Foose was hired to design the limited edition of the popular Ford pickup truck, the 2008 F-150. The star of the television show “Overhaulin” and a winner of “America’s Most Beautiful Roadster Award” seven times, Foose channels his version of a powerful pickup truck with stunning hot-rod influence.

The redesigned F-150 was made to look visually lowered. One of the factors that caused it to look sporty and lowered was the custom rocker panel and the bold stripes running around the exterior of the truck. This Ford pickup truck sported a new grille design, one with horizontal bars. This gives the illusion of a shorter frame. Another trick that Foose added was the lower rocker moldings which made the truck look more lowered than it actually is. The interior was done in a way that matches the strong design of the exterior. Chip Foose signatures embellish the headrests and floor mats. The center console is enveloped in leather with a custom-made badge.

And if you’re wondering if this new pickup truck is simply all about appearances, then its engine performance will put a rest to that. According to the Ford F-150 chief engineer, Matt O’ Leary, “The Ford F-150 Foose Edition is the fastest truck period… And it’s the only performance vehicle to offer the flexibility of the pickup bed.” The truck with the four-speed automatic transmission has a powertrain of 5.4-liter Triton V8. This engine is intercooled and supercharged. It gives of a horsepower o 450 at 5200 rpm. Its torque is 500 lbs-ft at 4000 rpm. It has a Ford Racing exhaust system.

So what is this limited edition all about? The Ford Motor Company Group Vice President, Design and Chief Creative Officer, Mays, has an answer to that. “It’s sweet and juicy, pared down and minimal, but it pops with that quintessential Southern California hot-rod flavor.”

source: World Car Fans

Is There A New Ford Engine in the Near Future?

Ford already owns a Windsor engine plant, dedicated to producing 5.4-liter V8 engines used mainly by F-Series pickup trucks. The company is being talked into tying up with the Canadian Auto Workers for a project which involves a new engine. According to union President, Buzz Hargrove, the said project is expected to bring an investment worth $303 million or C$300 million. He said, “The next few days will determine if we get new investment from Ford.” The proposed project entails a more fuel-efficient 5-liter engine, as compared to today’s Ford engines.

Ford Motor Corporation had said back in January that they were going to introduce a new engine named EcoBoost. This engine will be available as an option come 2009. The Ford EcoBoost’s advantage over the other engines is that it will improve mileage by 20 percent. Hargrove said that this certain type of engine wasn’t talked about during his meeting with the company.

Last January, Ford stated that they are planning to use the V6 EcoBoost engine by 2009 in the Lincoln MKS sedan model. This V6 is expected to produce 340 horsepower. The EcoBoost utilizes turbocharging and is able to force air through the engine but without giving a spike to fuel use. Along with this, there is a direct injection of fuel in a quantity that is small but would be just right. All in all, the EcoBoost enhances a car’s performance without sacrificing fuel consumption.

source: Bloomberg

Ford’s New Truck Promises First-Class Comfort and Exceptional Traveling

World, say hello to the all-new Ford F-250 Super Chief, the most highly developed and comfortable pickup that Ford has ever had. The Executive Director of the North America Design, Peter Horbury, had something to say about the Super Chief. He said, “F-250 Super Chief pays tribute to the bold optimism that is part of the American character… The F-250 Super Chief's innovations pave a new path for the American truck. It's a notion – and a modern design – so bold, it could only come from Ford.” And bold it is, with its noticeable grille. The three-bar grille is something of a new statement, seemingly fitting to the American Super Chief locomotive-inspired front end. The cabin of this concept truck is based on the F-250 Super Duty’s 8-foot long bed. With the F-250 Super Chief, 2 feet of bed space were allotted especially for the passenger compartment. For a more convenient access to the bed area, the tailgate hinges on both sides. To add more space, there is an under-bed storage tray. This can be accessed even if the cargo bed is jam packed.

The interior of this Super Chief gives a rugged yet elegant feel. “Well-appointed vehicles are nothing new… But, as premium amenities and finishes become more ordinary, we wanted to push the envelope and show our truck customers – and our competitors – what a truly upscale, distinctly American pickup might look like." J Mays, group Vice President, Design, and chief creative officer, said. They made use of American walnut, brushed aluminum and striking brown leather for the interior. Not just that but the entire roof is made of glass, with American walnut enveloped in leather cutting across the glass roof. The floor is outlined in aluminum, enhancing the rugged yet elegant touch of the Super Chief.

This concept truck relies on hydrogen for running power. It houses a Tri-Flex V-10 engine which produces 400 lb.-ft. of torque. When running on hydrogen, the engine produces carbon dioxide emission which is 99 percent less as compared to running on gasoline. Dr. Gerhard Schmidt is the Vice President for Research and Advanced Engineering. He said, “The Tri-Flex fuel engine encourages the development of the hydrogen fuel infrastructure for the best future mobility solution… It also drives the expansion of the domestic ethanol E85 fuel production and availability and, of course, provides our customers the convenience of gasoline until these other fuels become more readily available.”

Safety is not ignored, of course. The truck uses advanced safety technologies such as BeltMinder and BlockerBeam. The former alerts the driver when the passengers are not buckled up. The latter gives an improved frontal crash compatibility with the other cars. It aids in reducing the risk of both driver and passengers.

With the Ford F-250 Super Chief, comfort and convenience is made even better.

source: Ford Motor Company

Ford to Cut Down Production

Due to the decrease in their sales, Ford Motor Company will cut down their production by 10 percent. That is to say that there will be 730,000 fewer vehicles manufactured. This cut will be done in shifts at their factories located at Chicago, Cleveland, Kentucky, and Louisville.

The second shift elimination at the Louisville Explorer plant will take place around the midsummer, where there are 800 workers expecting the layoff. Bruce Day, the UAW Local 863 Building Chairman, said, “We thought we would get through this, but we are not going to… There will be layoffs.”

Ford is currently cutting back on their once popular trucks, sport utility vehicles and large cars. Ford spokeswoman Anne Marie Gattari had remarked, “This is not something we want to be doing. We would much rather be growing… It is sad that that is how it feels, like arm-twisting.” However, such trimming was needed to be done in order for Ford to live through.

source: Courier Journal

Ford Reports Decrease in Sales

One thing leads to another, they say. There was a reported decrease in the sales of all Ford vehicles, including the most popular truck, the Ford F-Series pickups. Contributing factors are the unrelenting drop in housing and the issues regarding credit. These apparently made an impact on consumers which, in turn, affected the sales of Ford, one of the leading and trusted brands in automobile manufacturers.

Ford Motor Co. said that compared to the 211,150 units sold a year earlier, they experienced a 6.9 percent drop. This means that in the last month, Ford was only able to sell 196,681 cars and trucks. For the longest time, the F-Series pickup trucks were Ford’s most favored and most purchased. However, just recently it was reported that the popular pickup had decreased its sales volume by 4.9 percent, selling only 52,548 trucks. The decline in the construction of SUVs such as the ford Explorer and Ford Expedition also affected the demand for the truck. Taken as a whole, the sales of the Ford pickup trucks had a 5.6 percent decrease while the Ford cars experienced a 9.3 percent decline. Ford cars which were subjected to the decline were the main Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands. If the sales of its Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo brands were to be included, then the sales would amount to the decrease of 6.9 percent.

Due to the sales dip worth nearly 7 percent, Ford said that their production for the second quarter would be cut down by 10 percent.

source: Eschaton