There are green advocates out there that might try and convince you that what most truck buyers want are fuel-efficiency and low emissions. That’s not what Ford says people who buy its F-150 truck want. Ford’s Brian Bell, marketing manager for the F-150 and Ranger trucks, shed some light on what buyers really want.
Bell says that the thing the Ford F-150 buyers want more than anything else is towing capability. Bell noted that Ford customers view their trucks as a tool. He said they buy the Ford F-150 because they need a truck to do something like tow or haul. He says that while they may use the Ford F-150 as a commuter vehicle, they still have the need to tow and haul at other times.
Bell also said that some have the impression that truck buyers purchase a truck because they like the idea of owning one, but he has learned that people buy trucks for their capability. Not many people buy trucks that don’t need them, according to Bell. Truck buyers have something in their life they feel they need a truck for according to the manager, and they want to make whatever that is better for them.
Bell notes that 74 percent of Ford F-150 customers tow a trailer, but not regularly. The lack of frequent towing makes that an intimidating process, which is where Ford came in with its tech to make trailers easier to back up and more stable. Rural Canadians would agree that fuel efficiency isn’t at the top of their list of requirements. A Ford dealer called Sherwood Ford in Sherwood Park, Alberta has said that few are interested in an electric truck.
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Source: Business Insider
Comments
I agree. While it maybe a small factor to the decision overall it doesn’t matter. I see no general use for an electric F150
No surprise here.
keep a v8 under the hood and all will be right with the world
… not ONE of the 5 guys I know that own a truck, owns a trailer, pulls a trailer or bales hay. Most people with a brain don’t think spending $50-70,000 on a truck and plowing through a barbed wire fence or hauling 8 cows to market is a good use of their truck. You need a new polling company …
Maybe us REAL truck owners rely on our $50-70,000 Ford trucks because we are workers that need hard working trucks to earn our living and we are not trying to show off our money by buying vehicles we don’t use. If you have something against us hard working Americans, who buy American trucks to also help supply the American demand for food and commodities, then you and your pavement princess friends are welcome to leave and start your own country of cry babies and starve to death for all I care.
jeffry, does your real truck have “Turd” on the sides? You sound like you need a bowel
movement, and, maybe a reason to live. Sure, you and your gal pals use your trucks for
tough jobs. Gouging the American families for food prices much? Get back to your
job at Dollar Tree and leave us regular guys alone, sweetie ..
I am sure you vote GOP.
You only know five people who own trucks??? What kind of city slicker are you?
Scott, you only know five people who own trucks??? What kind of city slicker are you?
Why I drive a truck: 1). They have to be built like a tank because the manufacturers figure you’ll work it.
2). They ask very little in maintenance and (in my experience) will go 100k without taking much in parts
or repairs.
3). Excellent trade in value.
4). Visibility out is generally good.
5). Crash time! You want to be in a truck, tonnage wins.
Owned a 1997 F-250 PowerStroke for 22 years still running great when I sold it this year – looking to buy a 150 since I don’t tow the heavy stuff anymore but still need to haul lumber and tools – Also hate the EcoBoot engine stop though
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. “Ford customers view their trucks as a tool.” Yeah, a barcalounger. And spare me the “I’M A REAL MAN WHO WORKS … BLAH BLAH BLAH” Give me a break. I don’t care what people buy, it’s just hilarious to me that they feel the need to hide their insecurities by posturing.
I guarantee 80% of 4×4 owners have never been on so much as a dirt road and 95% of people with a tow package don’t even know how to hook up a trailer.
Again don’t care what people spend their money on, but it’s funny how sensitive they are about it.
Love my 5.0 V8!!!! True FORD power!!!!
My F150 Super Crew Lariat is a swiss army knife. Hauls the wife and kids around town, and long distance. Bed comes in handy for all the luggage, especially when going skiing or going to the beach. Hauls a pallette of mulch home, in the springtime. Hauls heavy equipment, like tracked skid loaders and mini excavators for the mid-sized landscaping projects out back. Hauled rock, gravel, dirt, etc. It gets better gas mileage than the BMW X3 xDrive35 it replaced and has almost as many features. I do miss the automatic break hold feature. The 3.5 Ecoboost made up for to that though. It cruises awesome on the 1000 mile MD to FL road trips, on 1.5 tanks of 87 gas, with Android Auto and a good audio book playing. It does great for light off-roading to an MTBing trail head. Rugged enough for the big weekend home projects. Yet, it cleans up nice when I want to take the wife out to dinner and leave the truck with the valet. Great all-arounder. This is the second one I’ve owned. Will probably re-up, once this one has 200k on the odo.
An electric Truck would be able to tow 10 times what the v8 pulls now.
You are correct because electric motors make max torque at zero RPM’s.
The question that remains is, how far can they go and do they work well at minus 20 degrees.?
Ford will retain sales leadership as long as they dont apply the logic from the rest of their line and make 4-bangers the standard and only engine choice. FORD: I don’t care if the latest four coming coming out has 450 hp: keep at least one v8 option on the sheet… at least until all of us boomers are taking the dirt sleep. There was an article in here recently about a mid 80s extended cab with the 460 Lincoln in it. I had one. Wish I still had it… Today. In a 2019 model…. you had to be there.
Cadillac is making this very mistake. I love Cadillacs. I owned one with the 500 ci V8. Indescribable. Currently they have the delusion that a 300 hp four is acceptable in a $65,000 car. You want the Blackwing? Fork over at least $80,000.. and guess what??? That doesn’t get you the top performer of that engine. No wonder their lost in and endless cycle of failures.
Not to mention Cadillac’s ridiculously tired styling. They’ve been troweling out the same cow-catcher-fronted vehicles for what, 15 years now?
So true. Except for the outstanding and gorgeous concept cars they have presented to the world and then never produced: Ciel (2011), Elmiraj (2013), ESCALA (2016). Google it. Ya: What’s to decide? Nope. They came close with the CTS6-v, but can’t make up their mind to commit to it. Sad commentary.
If you buy a truck and don’t use it as a tool, you are a tool.
Interesting comments.
I own 7 trailers and we pull a race car all around the country.
The F-250 is my choice as it has the drive line and brakes to do the job.
It’s noteworthy that the F-150 could handle all of my trailers, though.
I do suspect that it would let me know, most of the time, that it’s working hard.
My last f150 went 230k before I traded on Superduty.no major repairs air. Trans water pump all original and I tune up. Beautiful truck with 6.2 raptor motor Harley Davidson edition. Hope this power stroke does the same or better.
I’d buy an electric F150. I don’t think there is much of a debate on the amount of power you can get out of a couple electric motors. The real issue is energy density and charge rate. When they get about 700 miles of range (400 if towing heavy…) out of 10 minute charge, I’ll be trading in my current F150 for THAT F150.
So true. Except for the outstanding and gorgeous concept cars they have presented to the world and then never produced: Ciel (2011), Elmiraj (2013), ESCALA (2016). Google it. Ya: What’s to decide? Nope. They came close with the CTS6-v, but can’t make up their mind to commit to it. Sad commentary.