Ford Motor Company introduced
some breakthrough pickup and Sport Utility models at the
Detroit Auto Show. The two standouts were the Ford Explorer Sport
Trac and the 2000 model year Ford F-150 Crew Cab four-door pickup.
Ford started a revolution with the introduction of the Explorer
in 1991, which eventually replaced the popular V-6 powered Bronco
II. This fanned the flames of the sport utility vehicle craze
lit by Chevrolet with the introduction of the S-10 Blazer.
The new Explorer Sport Trac is based on the standard Explorer,
with the added twist of a cargo bed for "one vehicle does
it all" versatility.
Jim O'Connor, Ford Division president, is hedging his bets that
the new Sport Trac will appeal to active customers. "This
innovative vehicle is certain to appeal to outdoor sports enthusiasts,
do-it-yourselfers and adventure seekers," O'Connor said.
But the sport utility market is the most competitive, growing
from just 200,000 units sold in 1981 to over 2.8 million in 1998.
One aspect of the Sport Trac that may appeal to customers is its separation
of cargo from passengers -- a growing safety concern among the
SUV manufacturers and insurers.
The Sport Trac will be available as a 2000 model and will come
in 4X2 and 4X4 configurations. It will feature a 204-horsepower,
4.0-liter single overhead cam fuel injected V-6 linked to an electronic
5-speed automatic transmission.
Expect dramatic interior styling to reflect the mission of the
vehicle and other options, such as a lockable, foldable hard tonneau
cover. There is no doubt other manufacturers will follow the SUV cargo
bed style with models of their own. Meanwhile, pickups today are among the most exciting of all new
vehicles for 2000.
Beginning with the Dodge Ram truck redesign in 1993, followed
by the Ford F-150 and now the new Chevrolet Silverado, pickup
styling has taken the assumed persona of their owners - rugged,
tough, and hard working.
But women now equal men in numbers of buyers of both SUVs and
pickups. A more diverse customer base creates diverse product
choices, and pickups are no longer the exception.
Ford's new F-150 Crew Cab is the only under-8,500 pound gross
vehicle weight pickup to offer four full size doors and a full
rear passenger compartment.
The new F-150 pickup will be introduced as a 2000 model and it
joins the big Super Duty F-Series introduced for 1999.
The F-15 Crew Cab is aimed at owners with commercial needs, plus
those with growing families who need additional interior space
in a rugged pickup.
The new Crew Cab is the same length as the 139-inch wheelbase
of the SuperCab, which makes the Crew Cab easier to maneuver and
park than prior models.
Unlike the SuperCab, which has smaller hinged doors that swing
out from the C-pillar, the Crew Cab has four full sized doors
separated by a B-pillar on each side, with inside and outside
handles on each door. It is the same type of system currently
available on the Super Duty F-Series Crew Cab pickups.
The rear seat package of the F-150 Crew Cab is similar to that
of a Ford Expedition sport utility vehicle built on the same platform.
Overall, the Crew Cab boasts 12 inches more cab space than the
current Super Cab model and a cargo box longer than 5 feet.
The Crew Cab shares the same mechanical components with the F-150
regular and Super Cabs. This includes the automatic transmission,
choice of Triton V-8 en-gines (4.6 liter and 5.4 liter V-8's).
In the United States, pickup sales continue to grow. In 1998,
pickup sales ac-counted for nearly 50 percent of all new vehicle
sales.
Several reasons explain the rising popularity of pickups.
First, the vehicles are becoming increasingly popular among women.
Five years ago, 70 percent of the pickups sold in this segment
were regular cabs used primarily as work and commercial vehicles.
Today, largely because of extra doors, better interior packages,
added luxury and refinement, equipment and power options and styling,
70 percent of the owners use their vehicles for recreation on
the weekends and vacations.
And it's the big three -- Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge that are making
the strongest pitch to this personal use market with these new
pickups. Sales for the Ford F-series pickups in 1998 topped 800,000 units.
The new Crew Cab will be built at Ford's Kansas City Truck Plant
in Missouri and will be on sale in early 2000.
Compare the Ford F-150 Crew Cab to the Chevrolet K2500 Crew Cab
pickup (also available in one ton K-3500), and the Dodge Mag-num
Crew Cab pickup (also available in three-quarter and 1 ton mod-els).
All three of the Ford, Chev-rolet and Dodge crew cab pickups are
also available in two-wheel or four-wheel drive.
For more information about the Ford pickup and sport utility vehicles,
call Ford at 800-446-8888 or visit the Ford web site at
www.ford.com
