The Ford F-150 is a distinctly American entity, but the popular pickup is also set to launch in other parts of the globe in the coming months, including Brazil, Europe, and Australia. As Ford Authority reported in late February, the first batch of Aussie 2023 Ford F-150 pickups was already en route to that country early this year after rolling off the assembly line at the Dearborn Truck plant in Michigan. However, while Ford will be exporting the F-150 to Australia, RMA Automotive will be handling the right-hand drive conversions at its own facility in Mickleham, Victoria, before the pickups are sold to customers there. Now, with that process set to get underway, the first 2023 Ford F-150 delivers are expected to begin in October, according to Drive.
What’s particularly interesting about this process is the fact that RMA has apparently never done a left- to right-hand drive conversion of this magnitude before, leading many to believe that there would be some sort of inevitable delay. However, that’s apparently not the case, as the company’s multi-million dollar program is reportedly right on track. However, customers that haven’t already placed an order are facing wait times of anywhere from six months to one year due to high demand, though it’s unclear how many pickups FoMoCo is shipping to Australia.
The 2023 Ford F-150 will launch in Australia in both XLT and Lariat trim levels in SuperCrew configuration with short or long beds, though customers down under are only getting one engine choice – the twin-turbocharged Ford 3.5L V6 EcoBoost, which produces 298 kW (400 horsepower) and 678 Nm (500 pound-feet) of torque. That powerplant is mated to the automaker’s 10-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive only, giving it 4,500 kilograms (9,920 pounds) of max towing capacity.
As one might imagine, importing and then converting the F-150 to right-hand drive means that it will be quite pricey, and that’s certainly the case, as the pickup will start out at $106,950 AUS ($72,141 USD) for the XLT trim, and $139,950 AUS ($94,415 USD) for the Lariat.
We’ll have more on the F-150 soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford F-Series news, Ford F-150 news, and continuous Ford news coverage.
No Comments yet