Ford has officially launched the 2015 Ford F-150 late last year so when the American carmaker let it loose to the market at the start of the year, the pickup truck started out very strong.
In fact, because of the strong sales performance of the 2015 Ford F-150 in January this year, all of the carmaker’s F-series vehicle sales were up 17 percent compared to the same month in 2014, notes Autoblog.
The 2015 Ford F-150 could have easily sustained the splendid overall sales showing of the carmaker in February had it not for supply problems that hounded the pickup truck as well as the other Ford vehicle lines.
As a result, sales for the 2015 F-150 dropped by 1.2 percent compared to the same month last year, while the sales for the Ford brand vehicles dropped by 1.7 percent compared to February 2014.
Change-over
Production of the 2015 F-150 and other vehicles in the carmaker’s Dearbom Truck Plant in Michigan has slowed down because Ford has been slowly moving it to its Kansas plant facility.
The change-over is obviously affecting production although Ford said that it will be hiring 1,550 people, including 900 in Kansas City, to focus on the production of Ford vehicles. Accordingly, the assembly change-over from Michigan to Kansas City has already cost Ford a total of 90,000 units of vehicles in lost production since the middle of 2014.
Despite the sales setback, the 2015 Ford F-150 still carried the overall vehicle sales for the American carmaker, accounting for 21% of the sales output in February this year, which is up from 18% in January.
The fewer supply of the 2015 F-150 came at a rather unfortunate time for the American carmaker as there has been a noticeable shift on buyer preferences to pickup trucks. The recent lowering of fuel prices has also thrust motorists towards the direction of the SUVs and trucks, more than the sedans and crossover vehicles.
Most popular pick-up truck
The F-150 is the most popular variant to the Ford F-Series of full-size pickup trucks. Ford Motor Company has been manufacturing and selling F-series pickup trucks since 1948.
The first model of F-150 first came out in 1971 and have since become the best-selling pickup truck for over 43 years. A little over 10 years later, it became the best-selling vehicle in the US, a title it has held onto for over 32 years already. It’s also the best-selling vehicle in Canada.
The Ford pickup trucks that are being seen on the road these days are the tenth to twelfth generation of F-150s dating back to model years 1996 up to 2015.
It was during the tenth generation of the pickup truck when the F-150 was redesigned from the ground up since 1980. Featuring a rounded styling that allowed for improved aerodynamics, a larger interior, and improved fuel economy, the F-150 comes with either a V6 or a V8 engine, which highlighted the kind of power it can exude.
The current generation of the F-150 is the twelfth generation which began with model year 2009 up to 2015. These trucks are distinguishable by their heavy duty-style grilles and head lamps.