The 2021 Ford F-150Ford
- Ford revealed the much-anticipated 2021 F-150 pickup truck on Thursday in Detroit.
- This is the 14th generation of the F-150, the bestselling vehicle in the US for 43 straight years.
- Ford didn't drastically revamp the design — the new F-150 is no Tesla Cybertruck — but it did add numerous new features, including an onboard generator.
- In addition to turbocharged V6 engines and both V8 and diesel motors, the new F-150 has available hybrid powertrain, dubbed "PowerBoost," that Ford said would be the most powerful in its class.
- The 3.5-liter V6 PowerBoost hybrid engine offers 12,000 lbs. of max towing capacity, equivalent to the gas-only truck, with what Ford called a "targeted EPA-estimated range of approximately 700 miles on a single tank of gas."
- Ford also emphasized the new F-150's updated SYNC4 infotainment system, as well as new connectivity features, including over-the-air software updates, and Ford ProPilot 360 driver-assist technology.
- The 2021 Ford F-150 goes on sale in the fall and will take on new full-size pickups from Chevy and RAM.
The wait is over. On Thursday, Ford pulled the cover off the all-new, 2021 F-150, at an event near Detroit that was beamed to the world via the internet.
The F-150 is America's longtime bestselling vehicle; in 2019, nearly 900,000 rolled off dealers lots. It represents a huge portion of Ford's revenue and profits, and has been the king of the pickup-truck hill for 43 consecutive years. Ford is counting on it to see it through both an ongoing $11-billion restructuring under CEO Jim Hackett and a recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has cratered global auto sales and hammered Ford's stock price.
But competition in the segment in fierce. Ford's historical rivals, Chevy and RAM, have brought new pickups to market and chiseled a tiny bit of share from the F-150. The 13th generation of the truck hit the streets in 2014, and it embodied serious risk for the automaker, as Ford engineered more lightweight aluminum into its construction. Updated in 2016, the F-150 was ready for a revamp.
The 14th generation doesn't represent a radical reimagining of the franchise; the new F-150 is no Tesla Cybertruck. But it is the most high-tech F-150 ever, from its available onboard generator to its infotainment and connectivity systems to a new hybrid powertrain that could serve up 700 miles on a single tank of gas — an anticipates the eagerly anticipated electric F-150 that Ford's is expected to launch in the next two years.
Take a closer look at the 2021 Ford F-150, in all its trucky glory: