The Ford F-150 – the centrepiece of the best-selling F-Series family – will enter its next generation within the next three years, as a part of a wide overhaul for the Blue Oval brand.
In a media release, Ford announced it has started up a ‘New Product Creation and Industrialization Organization’, aimed at delivering its next-generation models to the market.
Spearheading the organisation’s targets will be refreshing 80 per cent of its North American and 70 per cent of its global product portfolio by volume, to take place by 2029.
While one of the most anticipated products is the mid-sized pickup which will debut Ford’s new Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) platform, the brand has confirmed that the next F-150 and Super Duty are also due by 2029.
The current Ford F-150, the 14th generation of the pickup, launched in the US in 2020, and was given a mid-life update in 2023, which resulted in hybrid versions being offered at the same price as the non-hybrid 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine.
Despite the Trump Administration winding back penalties for carmakers who exceed its elevated emissions targets, it’s likely the next-generation F-150 will place an even greater onus on electrification.
Late last year, Ford announced it had killed the all-electric F-150 Lightning and its second-generation a battery-powered successor, instead saying it would reuse the nameplate on a range-extended EV.
Also known as extended-range EVs (or EREVs), this powertrain sees a petrol engine fitted to charge the onboard high voltage battery, rather than help drive the wheels.
Ford claims the F-150 Lightning EREV will have a driving range of more than 1125km when combining the battery pack and petrol engine, and accelerate from 0-60mph (98km/h) in less than five seconds.
It’s expected to launch around the same time as the next-generation petrol-powered F-150, given their commonality in design and under the skin.
This is the most over-the-top ute Ford has ever brought to Australia
What’s not yet known is whether the new F-150 will come to Australia.
The F-150 joined local showrooms in late 2023 – three years after its US unveiling – while its facelifted version went on sale earlier this year. It is converted from left- to right-hand drive in Melbourne by RMA Automotive, and sold in Ford Australia dealerships.
The adoption of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) – which sees carmakers punished or rewarded for every vehicle they sell against emissions targets – has placed greater emphasis on more efficient powertrains and smaller vehicles, while threatening to increase prices of the high-emitters.
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