2015 Ford F-150 Production Begins in Michigan
After a long and thorough overhaul and production line upgrade, 2015 Ford F-150s are rolling off the line at the Ford Rouge Center in Dearborn, Mich. As you know, the new half-ton went on a huge diet, losing almost 700 pounds on some models and providing the full-size pickup with better payload and towing capacity, and fuel economy.
Ford executives, plant workers, government officials and union representatives were all in attendance when the first new F-150 — a red XLT 4x4 SuperCrew with an EcoBoost engine (the most popular F-150 configuration) — drive off the line on Nov. 11. All three of Ford's top leaders were onhand to call attention to the fact that this new pickup and remodeled production line are making history. The Rouge complex dates back to the early 1900s; it's where the first Model A automobiles were built. Later the plant was later transformed to support World War I and II military efforts. Of course, the F-150 is exceptionally important to Ford as it accounts for about half of all F-Series sales, every one of which provides the company with a hefty profit margin.
We had the chance to tour parts of the refurbished Dearborn Truck Plant and saw the high-strength aluminum tubing used inside every F-150 cab being molded and extrude honed. On another line we saw rivets and screws being shot into a SuperCrew shells before they met up with the bed and frame. Interestingly, all of the robots on the main production lines are mounted upside down, hanging from beams and rafters, to provide more inspection space for line workers. This design also makes it easier to swap out entire units or work on the multipivoting arms.
The body shop was completely gutted and redesigned, and it is a marvel to see. We've seen quite a few truck plants where large steel body panels are welded and swung around with monstrously large robots arms, all the while throwing sparks and molten pieces of metal. This new F-150 body shop has much smaller robot arms hanging from compact steel girders, making almost no noise and never throwing sparks because conventional welding techniques are not used here. In fact, the only flashes of light we saw was from the "Perceptron Inspection Stations" (located on the production lines throughout the plant), where lights flash so cameras can make sure all the surfaces and seams are lined up within specifications.
Ford President and CEO Mark Fields noted that in the last month Ford has had more than a quarter million visitors to the Build Your Own F-150 site who have built and priced their own unique version of the truck. Additionally, Fields said, more than 225,000 truck enthusiasts have reached out to their local dealership or Ford.com and submitted contact information to receive updates as the on-sale date for the truck gets closer (officially in December, but February is likely for retail orders).
No announcement was made about EPA fuel economy numbers at the event, but Ford has already said the new pickup and power train lineup will offer at least a 5 percent improvement on comparable models, with some specific configurations offering as much as 20 percent EPA gains.
To read the full press release, click here.
Cars.com photos by Mark Williams; manufacturer images
Comments
That first one off the assembly line is MINE! Don't touch it!
I would like to read an article like this on the new Colorado and Canyon.
Funny how they call that red xlt the first new f-150 on the line? Maybe the first one after the last of all pre-production trucks? But in reality ford had already built at least 4,000 f-150s prior to November 11. And they don't build anywhere near 4,000 pre-production trucks.
The manufacturing processes is where the real technology is.
The talk of FE is still talk, but I would like to see the 2.7 EcoBoost in the Ranger as an option.
The longer term will show if the truck is as good as the Ford marketing has claimed. I don't mind aluminium.
The weight savings is good, but again the cost of 700lbs was quite a bit, especially when the pickup wasn't the lightest.
My Mazda BT50, which is really a Ford Ranger hasn't had any real reliability issues and it was one of the first off the production line. So hopefully Ford can replicate the rollout of the new F-150.
I still think it will cost Ford some F-150 sales which is a lot to Ford as the F-150 is it's bread and butter.
I give a lot of credit to Ford for going a different route on the best product they make. I hope this makes other manufacturers switch over from steel, and the times of rusted out cars and trucks are over. I am a Chevy guy, but I'm optimistic Ford makes tons of money off these new trucks.
These things are going to crumple like cans in an accident. Waiting to see the crash tests.
JMO but aluminum only belongs on my roaster covering a turkey for Thanksgiving day.
Sounds like a couple of Turkeys on here already!
Im sorry....but that thing is beyond butt ugly... even worse than the Tundra.
JMO but aluminum only belongs on my roaster covering a turkey for Thanksgiving day.
- Ya, and tinfoil steel like GMC-GM uses and puts in their GM Sierra and fake chevy brand silverado too belongs covering the turkey in the oven as well. Tin Foil steel has No place in a truck. Thick Durable material is the only material that should be used to build trucks. Just like they used to build them.
And to the post above me, the term is "Couldn't" care less. Not 'could'. You're typical of the GMC white trashy brain mentality unfortunately. Too bad for Chevrolet sufferers. Nascrap fans aside.
I can say this I'm a GM guy and I do hope that they do well with the new F-150. Second best pickup made. Yes I'm counting Chevy/GMC as one.
But it kind of does look like a Tundra in the front.
My friend who runs a detail shop told me years ago that he hated working on Dodge pickups because they dent so easy. So GM was not the first to thin out the metal. I have seen Tundra's that have all kinds of cracks around the tailgate handles. But never a crack on a GM or Ford.
Does not have a Tundra front end at all...
2007 Tundra:
http://www.pickuptrucks.com/IMAGES/autoshows/chicago2006/toyota/tundra4.jpg
2015 F-150:
http://blogs.cars.com/.a/6a00d83451b3c669e201a3fccedd86970b-pi
And if you think the '15 F-150 front end looks like the '14 Tundra, I shall remind you the Atlas F-150 debuted first and is a clone for the 2015 F-150. Nobody at that time was saying it was a Toyota. Toyota was trying to make their Tundra look more traditional and like a F-series.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKy4J9YDonY&list=UUFTCJH8G8eGCHOd93HsyAPQ
That's the real deal above. This is like old school Chevrolet. Sexy looking, luxurious and built Like A Rock! If only Chevy built em like that again.. :(
'So GM was not the first to thin out the metal'
@peter, please. 1999... gmt-800. The very First of the thinner tin trucks built anywhere. Cheaply built, (inside,outside and underside), rust bucket extraordinaire's...
If only you were on the assembly line. 'Do not touch' was the word. On a truck of all things. Gentle with the bed, gentle with the tailgate. The 900's in 2007 were and are a nightmare. 10 x's worse. You can dent the 'metal' if you can call it that by looking at it crosseyed. Pure rust prone,dent prone garbage.
http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/119648-acorn-damage/
http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/9900/chevrolet/silverado-1500/chevy-silverado-and-gmc-sierra-undercarriage-rust
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Silverado/2007/body_paint/clearcoat_and_paint_problems.shtml
Pickup efficiency claims: From the front lines
by Bill Cawthon • Posted on November 12, 2014
The current king of the hill is the Ram 1500 with the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel, eight-speed transmission, and work on aerodynamics and parasitic loss reduction.
http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php/2014/11/pickup-efficiency-claims-from-the-front-lines
I can say this I'm a GM guy and I do hope that they do well with the new F-150. Second best pickup made. Yes I'm counting Chevy/GMC as one.
-@peter- Sorry, Chevrolet and GM are NOT 1. And what the heck is a 'GM' guy? I've known Pontiac company guys, Oldsmobile company guys, Chevrolet company guys, Ford company guys, Dodge company guys etc.. Never have I met a GM guy outside of the GMC truck crowd. And I don't consider the Denali crowd part of that either. Those people are buying Denali's, not GM-GMC's. This is a classic case of GMCorporate trying to have their cake and eat it too... Attempting to keep customers from former companies post GMCorporate restructuring that destroyed them all. Are they Chevrolet now? Or are they GM-GMC now? Perhaps they are Buick?? Make up your dang mind already. It's as laughable as the Gen 5 'smallblock' not being a Chevrolet Smallblock but a GM smallblock. Yet, when it benefits GM, it becomes a Chevrolet smallblock again.. LOL....
And in the truck world, Chevrolet is Nowhere on par with GM's anymore. Let alone Ford, Dodge, Toyota, Nissan etc.
congrats to ford
Gm is #1 ask anyone that actually uses there truck for anything other than transporting a family.
Love my 2014 Gmc Sierra SLT
And the Tin foil comment is just comedy, obviously you guys all work in an office somewhere.
You can have your pop riveted, 3m seam sealed beer can.
Didn't ford learn pop rivets won't even hold there covertible top frames to a car body for longer than a couple years of normal use?
Then how will this "new process" support a truck with thousands of pounds of tow and payload capacity?
I doubt they have the same research and development team as Boeing, so drop the airplane argument.
And by the way F150's and GM trucks have had aluminum hoods since 06' and 09' respectively
Just saying not that new
I am dating myself but I remember how Ford introduced the first Fleetside pickup when I was a kid.
The bed and the cab were one piece like a unibody. It didn't take too long before owners found out that when they loaded up the bed with a load, the doors didn't stay closed because of body flex.
My dad was so p!ssed he traded his Fleetside for a Chevy until Ford quit making the Fleetside.
Great job ford!!!! They are going to sell tons of them. Next for aluminum is the superduty!!!!
Take a look at the 48 F1. That's what the front end styling looks like. The tail lights...maybe.
'Yes I'm counting Chevy/GMC as one.'
Pftt.. Sorry, thanks or No Thanks to GM and or GMC, Chevrolet is a derated joke in the world of trucks now. And thanks or No Thanks to GM and or now Buick, Chevrolet is a derated rental joke in the world of cars as well.
"The only good Chevy is a Racecar". There's a reason why that saying since the 90's has existed. Or how about, "Chevy's are for Racing, Ford's are for Working". This is 100% ALL GM's fault. They've Ruined Chevrolet Cars and Trucks outside of racing period, end of story. Thanks or No Thanks to GM, The only good Chevrolet Really Is a racecar sadly. Nice artificial glass ceiling there to protect GM Sierra's and Buicks. Oddly enough, Chevrolet's when offered, sell at higher price points than even Cadillac. I love Chevrolet, or what the company once was. Transmissions aside, I HATE GM.
Ford has a winner' heard they are at 600 a day production. That's about 1800 a day too few. Dealers are gonna weep when the first ones are brought in. Need those EPA numbers though.
Ford has a real challenge: while their baby EcoBoost V6 might post mileage figures close to or equal to the Ram EcoDiesel, it can’t deliver the torque, which means it can’t do the same work. The larger EcoBoost V6 has equivalent torque, but it’s a real stretch to imagine it equaling the Ram’s fuel economy.
In addition, their little V6 is an $800 option, just $400 less than upgrading a Tradesman V6 to the HEMI. Their more powerful Ecoboost V6 costs an extra $2,295, more than half the upgrade price for the EcoDiesel.
Upgrading a base Ford F-150 XL short bed to a V8 jacks the MSRP to $28,210, including $1195 destination charge. A comparable Ram 1500 Tradesman with the HEMI goes for $26,405, including a $1,195 destination charge. That seems a lot to pay for a body that will likely raise your insurance rates and limit your choices of repair shops. Why not save $1,805, keep your insurance rates down, increase your freedom of choice, and get more horsepower and torque to boot?
In most every configuration the F150 will be rated to tow about 8400 lbs with the 2.7. Put a Ram diesel up against it and the Ford will do quite well head to head. It won't beat the diesel MPG though it could get quite close to cost per mile as the diesel with the price difference.
Good thing for the competition is Ford won't come close to meeting demand for many months. Likely into late spring.
Still a lot of questions I have about the new 2015 F-150
#1 gas mileage of the new 2.7 Eco-Boost?
guess: 17 city 21 highway
#2 side airbag design and side door glass
guess: side air bags inside door instead of in the seat and laminated side glass instead of tempered glass
#3 super cab rear doors?
guess: they open 180 degrees so the outside of the door lays flat on the side of the bed instead of the old doors that only open 90 degrees. ( never found a video of that )
The door glass is very important to me not because of the drivers vision but because of the vision outside-in. You'll never understand what I mean, laminated glass reflexes back like a mirror, I don't want that! Why is the reason they switched to laminated side glass? Is it safety? Sound deadening? Or does it have to do cause the air bag is inside the door?
Can anybody here answer that?
Those unknown questions are driving me crazy
still better than a Dodge Ram, ever since I found out here on PUTC that the hemi engine is made in Mexico that did it for me! That reminds me too much of a junk Toyota !
@Highdesertcat--I remember those Ford fleetside as well. Were those introduced in '61 or '62? I know 61 was a totally new redesign from the '57 thru 60 model F series. Highdesert my granddad always had a couple of Dodge trucks and when the Dodge dealer closed in the nearby town he bought an IH pickup. Back in his early days he bought model Ts followed by a Buick and Pontiac and a series of Dodge flatbed trucks for the farm but he was never much into Fords and he never said why. I am guessing he knew the owner of the local Dodge dealer very well since they were friends. Back in the 50's and early 60's there were no mega dealers like there are now.
I am not slamming this article but I would have liked a longer video on the manufacturing process of the new F-150 without the commercial. To me the robots and the gluing of the body panel would be much more interesting since this is a new manufacturing process for trucks.
I can't see buying a 2.7, sure it has enough power with the turbos, but you are putting a lot more stress on everything to get that power, I don't see the motor lasting 300K like a V8 will maybe 150K if your easy on it.
Not sold on the looks of it, the ones with painted front ends look better then say the Red XLT chrome looks kinda fugly.
I think it looks alright. More evolutionary than revolutionary on the outside. Of course, it's the other way around under layers of paint.
These rivets and glue just scare me on a vehicle like this. Lots of these trucks will see much different level of usage and environments than Jaguars and Audis.
I guess we'll wait and see.
So Nissan is the last one to the party. After they join the rest, the cycle will end and we'll be looking forward to new Ram, Chevy, GMC, Toyota, Ford and Nissan all over again. Good days ahead of truck fans.
Like it, or hate it, for real or imagined reasons...
Here comes the future.
850ish more "real", "good" jobs in American Manufacturing brought you WITHOUT tax payer money courtesy of real capitalism.
Yes there will be issues. Hopefully they will be small and quickly fixed.
Thank you Ford.
I wonder how long before some custom shop does a painted on rivet job or a complete paint delete and a total body polish to a high shine like a WWII fighter plane.
That would look so awesome.
This is do or die for Ford!!!
That truck would be gorgeous in bare skin!!
Too bad it's going to be astronomical to repair, insure, and own.
Buy Ram!
Better trucks and cheaper deals!
Cheaper to insure and repair!
RAM
After I saw the long term test on the ecodiesel of the fiat ram in motor trend I woulden't suggest it at all. The fiat ram was in the shop more then on the rd and fiat ram coulden't find out what was wrong with it.
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/trucks/1410_2014_ram_1500_ecodiesel_outdoorsman_crew_cab_4x4_update_1/
It's scary hearing about all the issues the Ram EcoDiesel is having. Same old Chrysler.
All the previous tests of the new 2015 F 150 Ford have been pre-production trucks. Now we are going to see the real tests, actual weight and mpg results.
@Ken and Paul - ouch. The Ram fanboys say that Consumer Reports and JD Power results are skewed and inaccurate.
"A day after Fiat Chrysler Automobiles found itself near or at the bottom of Consumer Reports 2014 Annual Reliability Survey, FCA quality boss Doug Betts left the building.
Per Autoblog, Betts came over to what was then Chrysler in 2007 after leaving Nissan, and had a challenging relationship with CEO Sergio Marchionne near the end of his tenure with the automaker.
In a brief press release, FCA announced Matthew Lidane would take Betts’ place as quality chief. Lidane has been with the automaker since 1987, having worked with Jeep as chief engineer, and was the boss for the U.S. compact wide platform underpinning two poor performers in this year’s survey, the Jeep Cherokee and Dodge Dart."
@ HEMI V8 DEALS - cheaper to repair is no help if statistically they will spend 20% more time in the repair shop.
Re: insurance cost
I requested a quote from Geico to insure a 2015 F-150. It was comparable to the cost to insure a F-150 that is coming up on 10 model years old. Your insurance rate is mostly determined by your age, location, and driving record.
Insurance Costs:
any increase likely wouldn’t be very noticeable.
How could this be? Dr. Hartwig pointed out that the portion of most drivers’ insurance premiums devoted to collision repair is rather small, with the majority given to liability coverage. Given that comprehensive and collision typically makes up about a third of a premium, any increase in repair costs won’t drastically affect overall premium rates, which are affected by a multitude of other factors.
http://blog.caranddriver.com/how-much-more-will-the-aluminum-2015-ford-f-150-cost-to-insure-and-repair-heres-what-the-experts-say/
Specifically the insurance quote was only $50 more for a brand new 2015 F-150 than a 04-08 model.
The insurance rates for the new F-150 will be awkward for an actuary to determine. The don't have enough data to make an accurate assessment.
I would place little faith of the initial insurance rates. I do expect them to rise considerably.
When new models are released here in Australia the insurance is cheaper than the following years.
There is one thing I want to make loud and clear. A lot of people were saying rates were going to skyrocket and it appears they don't know what they are talking about which is nothing new. So far Ford is right that the insurance rates are competitive. They may even be less than the compeition. I haven't compared it against a 2015 from competition.
I don't see it going way up in the near future. There is no reason for it. Insurance companies charge less for coverage of the outgoing F-150 compared with the competition. So at the end of the day it will be a wash and your insurance rates will be determined mostly by other factors.
I'll also add I have never needed body work on any of my trucks and the new F-150 will be more dent and ding resistant.
@Dave - I agree. The increased insurance angle has been overblown by fanbois and the media. Collision is only a small part of insurance and only cost $75 on my current truck.
Insurance on the aluminum truck isn't going to change much if any. I'll informed one will say it does but they are also the ones that just go in and tell there agent they need full coverage or liability on a vehicle but don't know what and how much there insurance covers or the limits.
I don't know what the big fuss is about. I like the fact that Ford is using aluminum on the new F150 to save a significant amount of weight. But the real factor for me when buying a pickup is the look and functionality if it. Then it comes own to reliability and dependability. If a certain pickup can pull my trailer up the hill 1 second faster than the other competitors, it's not going to win my pay check. What's going to win me is that I'm not wasting my time with it being worked on in the repair shop.
The All American truck. Made in the USA with highest % American parts content. Ford is now what Chevrolet once was.
@JT - American parts content changes year to year. The F150 doesn't always make the list
Throw some clear on those brushed aluminum panels and you have one sick looking special edition!!
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