Ford F150 Truck Blog

MotorTrend is reporting that Ford has confirmed plans of building two new pickups smaller than the F-150 (one may be the Ford F-100). With gas prices showing no signs of going down, this is good news from the Blue Oval. As we reported earlier, one of the trucks may be called the F-100.

Here is a quote from the MotorTrend article:

The smaller F-150 is codenamed P525 and may be badged F-100, the name of the F-150’s predecessor from the 1950s. At one point, P525 and the Ranger replacement were competing proposals, but with growing need for higher-fuel-mileage trucks, both projects will become reality in 2010 or 2011. The P525 won’t be offered with V-8 power, but instead will come with four-cylinder and V-6 EcoBoost (gas direct injection and turbocharging) options, the engines’ fuel economy and torque optimized for interim Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards expected to kick in for the 2011 model year.

Personally, I can’t wait to see a smaller EcoBoost truck, especially a potentially turbo 4-cylinder model. I only have need for a light-duty pickup. I suspect many people are in the same boat, they don’t need the V8 power on a daily basis and would like to get better mpg for their daily commute.

The F-100 nameplate has some heritage and I think it would be a good choice for a slightly-smaller-than-F-150 size.

Ford announced yesterday that due to a shift in consumer demand toward more fuel efficient vehicles, they are reducing production of large trucks.

“We are continuing to make great progress on our plan,” said Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally. “We are profitable and growing outside of North America, and our transformation plan in North America is working. The challenge affecting the entire industry is the accelerating shift in consumer demand away from large trucks and SUVs to smaller cars and crossovers – combined with a steep rise in commodity prices and the weak U.S. economy.”

One has to wonder what will be the Ranger’s future… Ford has announced a few years in a row that the Ranger assembly plant in the Twin Cities will be closing but it hasn’t happened yet. Also, on the Ford Fleet site they’ve said the Ranger will be available during the 2009 model year.What do you think? With people turning to more fuel efficient vehicles, would you consider buying a Ranger to get better gas mileage? That’s one way to keep driving a Ford truck while not paying as much at the pump!

If you’re interested in any of the following Ford products, these are some “sister” sites:

• Ford Flex
• Ford Fusion
• Ford Taurus