 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Ford adds flare to popular F-150
©Associated Press DETROIT -- Ford unveiled its redesigned F-150 on Monday, the newest entry in its profitable F-series line of trucks and the one executives call crucial to its success. Nick Scheele, Ford's president and chief operating officer, has called the F-150 relaunch the company's most important event in 2003 -- when Ford also celebrates its 100th year in business. The F-series accounts for about a quarter of Ford's sales and was the best-selling vehicle in the nation last year. It was the 21st year in a row that Ford's full-size line of pickups topped the U.S. sales charts. "There's no way to overstate its importance," executive vice president Jim Padilla said Monday during the media preview of the North American International Auto Show. The last change to the F-150 was in the 1997 model, said Ford division president Steve Lyons, and this one took more than three years to develop. "This is all brand new. There is nothing left over from the original," Lyons said. The F-150 has a 5.4-liter, V-8 engine producing 300-horsepower, which Ford says is a 15 percent improvement over its previous 5.4-liter engine. The cargo box is more than 2 inches deeper, and the passenger compartment is 6 inches longer. The cab also has rearward-swinging doors that give easy access to cargo space. "We think the product is going to be so strong," Padilla said. "No. 1, it's going to sell very well; No. 2, we'll get good margins on the vehicle, less rebates. . . . And we think it'll be strong in terms of volume and it's coming at the right time." Analyst Mike Wall, with IRN Inc. in Grand Rapids, Mich., said Ford did a "bang-up job" on the new F-150, particularly on the interior. The little things, such as the gauges, vents and shifter, have been improved, and Wall said though they may be subtle, they add to the vehicle's aesthetics. But Wall said there can be a cost downside to having so many options and additional features, especially since Ford has had some trouble with its launches -- including recalls and batch-building. Batch-building is when the automaker builds a number of vehicles and then puts them in a warehouse for additional testing. "Ford has struggled in a way with pulling cost out of their manufacturing," Wall said. Ford will start building the 2004 F-150 in June to hit showroom floors in August. Lyons said the price won't be that far off from the current price, which averages from a bare-bones $18,000 to $38,000. Five versions of the F-150 will be available, including the upscale Lariat. The company declined to say how much more than its other vehicles the new F-150 will cost to build, but Padilla acknowledged it would be more. Ford also introduced a souped-up concept truck, the SVT Lightning. The Lightning has a 6-speed transmission and a 500-horsepower supercharged engine, as well as a four-wheel independent suspension. Lyons said Ford will sell the current version of the Lightning next year.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times Business report
From the AP
|
