It’s an Unprecedented Truck Offensive | New F-150, Ranger Shipping

Ford assembles more vehicles in the U.S. than any other automaker and employs the most UAW-represented hourly autoworkers. More than half of those team members contribute to F-150 or Ranger production; Ford assembles a new truck in the U.S. every 33 seconds, and the celebration kicked off at manufacturing facilities in Dearborn and Wayne, MI, as well as Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, MO. 

Earning Truck Leadership

Over the years, Ford pushed the edges of pickup innovation, pioneering the use of high-strength, military-grade aluminum alloy that dropped weight to unlock more capability in 2015; invented EcoBoost-powered full-size pickups that improve efficiency; and developed gas, hybrid and electric F-150 trucks to cover about every customer use case. 

Hybrids are especially hot right now, including trucks. Ford owns 72% of the U.S. hybrid pickup market, with Maverick Hybrid leading the way – at least until the new F-150 arrives. The F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid with available Pro Power Onboard is basically a mobile generator standing by to make customers the hero of the next power outage, and for 2024, Ford is doubling the production rate F-150 PowerBoost hybrid to 20% of all F-150 pickups.

Across the globe, there’s a similar story on Ranger, the best-selling pickup truck in Europe and the top-selling vehicle in Australia for 2023, among many other distinctions. By the end of this year, Ford plans to start diversifying Ranger powertrains in Europe by adding a plug-in hybrid targeted at businesses that aren’t quite ready for full electric vehicles – but need to meet the requirements of low- or no-emission city centers.

Quality and Craftsmanship

When developing these new truck models, Ford enhanced quality processes and applied learnings from the Super Duty launch last year.

Using connected vehicle data on pre-production F-150 units, engineers uncovered an issue where modules did not shut off at night or were consuming more power than they should. Engineers updated the problematic software before any trucks left the plant.

Christine McGowan and the Ranger Raptor launch team spotted a cosmetic issue on the hood of the truck that made it appear as though there was a dent. The team moved quickly to add handling aids to provide support for the hood throughout the manufacturing process and made design changes to stiffen the character lines. 

Under the hood, Kelly Johnson, hybrid calibration engineer, and his team helped improve powertrain smoothness on the F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid trucks by blending the power coming from the electric motor and gas engine through software updates.

That allowed engineers to completely remove the belt starter, reducing weight and complexity and helping us offer the PowerBoost Hybrid at the same manufacturer’s suggested starting price as the EcoBoost model. 

Even the new Blue Oval badge on the F-150 goes through extreme Built Ford Tough testing, starting with a freeze chamber, where after being soaked for 20 minutes, the badge faces temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius for four hours.

This simulates the worst winter conditions, ensuring no water infiltration or damage compromises its integrity or appearance. It then goes through a high-pressure car wash test, so that even the most enthusiastic cleaning efforts won't diminish its luster or cause damage.