2017 Ford F-150 News

[kscarbel2]

 

[kscarbel2]

Ford bumps up fuel economy on new F-150

Automotive News  /  October 5, 2016

A new 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine and 10-speed transmission make the 2017 Ford F-150 as much as 2 mpg more efficient than the current version, Ford said today.

The 4x2 version of the F-150 is EPA-rated at 25 mpg in highway driving, 18 mpg in city driving and 21 mpg combined. Each of those figures is 1 mpg higher than the 2016 model.

The 4x4 version gets a combined rating of 20 mpg, a gain of 2 mpg. Highway and city ratings each rise 1 mpg, to 23 and 17.

The improvements give the aluminum-bodied F-150 a slight fuel-economy advantage over its all-steel rivals. The 2017 Chevrolet Silverado with a 4.3-liter V-6 and a six-speed transmission has the same city ratings but lags the F-150’s highway and combined ratings by 1 mpg each. The 2017 Ram 1500 with a 3.6-liter V-6 and eight-speed transmission ties the F-150’s highway ratings but trails by 1 mpg on the city and combined figures.

Ford said the second generation of its 3.5-liter V-6 and its first volume-production 10-speed transmission also improve the F-150’s acceleration, performance and refinement, particularly when hauling heavy payloads and towing trailers.

The new engine delivers 470 pounds-feet of peak torque, 50 more than the first generation and more than all diesel and gasoline-powered competitors, Ford said. It produces 375 hp, 10 more than the previous version.That compares to 285 hp for the Silverado’s 4.3-liter V-6 and 305 hp for the Ram’s 3.6-liter V-6.

Ford said the 10-speed transmission, which it developed jointly with General Motors, uses closer ratios between gears and patented hydraulic controls to optimize engine power and torque ranges. It is Ford’s first transmission made without cast-iron components, using a design that reduces its weight and size compared to previous gearboxes.

About 60 percent of F-150s are sold with EcoBoost engines, which use turbochargers to improve performance while saving fuel. Ford also sells the 2017 F-150 with a carryover 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine.

[BillyT]

Where to start? first I'm waiting to see how well everyone likes the ecoboost when it has a few miles and all the electronics and computerized b.s. starts screwing up.I do 100 percent of  our families automotive maintenance, and quite frankly I'm not qualified to work on the newest vehicles. The alloys in the automotive components today are far superior to the old days,but the big number is the lubricants, put them in an older simpler motor and change them regularly you can't wear them out.As nearly as I can tell the majority of problems with modern cars and trucks is with the electronics and b.s. accessories that modern America is convinced they need!  As far as the throwing of rocks and broken concrete into a new p.u. Who does that? Ever hear of a 20 dollar sheet of plywood? Do you guys with high dollar aluminum dump bodies let the loader drop big rocks in them? Carlotpilot, when I first started hauling cars in 74, About the only way you could get fired with no recourse was to hit a properly marked overpass cause we were required to be under 13.6 when we left the yard. It was pretty much the best paying trucking job.well one of the older drivers hit a bridge because he was too high! Put a big crease on a new Ford wagon! 100 mi from the terminal in Ohio.He bought the car from the dealer,had his wife drive him to pick it up,and drove it for 10 years! I would have never thought of that! Makes perfect sense!

[kscarbel2]

Ford to Idle Four Factories as Slowing Sales Bloat Inventory

Bloomberg  /  October 18, 2016

Ford Motor Co. is temporarily halting one of two plants that builds the top-selling F-150 pickup as it idles four factories this month amid slowing U.S. auto sales.

This week, Ford is shutting its Louisville, Kentucky, factory building the Escape and Lincoln MKC sport utility vehicles, as well as two plants in Mexico that make the Fusion sedan and Fiesta subcompact, according to an e-mailed statement. Next week, the second-largest U.S. automaker said, it will close the F-150 factory near Kansas City for seven days. And starting Oct. 31, the Louisville plant will be idled for another week, Ford said.

The plant closings follow last week’s shutdown of Ford’s Mustang factory in Michigan after sales of the sports car plunged 32 percent in September. U.S. auto sales are slowing as many analysts predict the industry won’t match last year’s record of 17.5 million cars and light trucks. Ford Chief Executive Officer Mark Fields has said the U.S. auto market has plateaued and that showroom sales are weakening.

“We said we expected the overall retail industry to decline in the second half of the year,” Kelli Felker, a Ford spokeswoman, said in the statement. “We also said to expect to see some production adjustments in the second half -- this is one of them.”

F-series sales fell 2.6 percent last month as a pickup price war heated up. Escape sales dropped 12 percent in September as Ford faced competitive pressure from the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. Fusion sales plunged 18 percent and Fiesta was off 40 percent as car sales continue to languish with low fuel prices pushing buyers into trucks and SUVs.

Felker said Ford is trying to match production with demand. Inventories have been swelling on the models the automaker is idling. The company had 93 days supply of F-series pickups, which includes the F-150, at the end of September, up from 83 days a year earlier.

Escape inventory grew to 64 days, from 50 a year earlier, while Lincoln MKC climbed to 96 days from 91 last year, according to Autodata. A 60-day supply is considered optimal.

Ford had 72 days supply of Fusion sedans at the end of last month, up from 51 a year earlier, and it had enough inventory of the Fiesta to last 77 days, up from 56 in September of 2015.

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[BillyT]

They've pretty much eliminated gear shifting. Perhaps the major carriers could adapt the pro backing assist feature to their semis and eliminate those pesky ( and difficult to pass CDL exams) and hire anyone😁

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[kscarbel2]

Why does the customer have to pay "extra" for wheel-well liners, an important part that used to be included with the trucks? It's shocking what some automakers are doing today.

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[Red Horse]

It's simple-Mark Fields lost some bonus money because of recall issues-he needs the added bump from options like this!