Back in March 2022, The Blue Oval announced that it would be exporting the Ford F-150 to Australia, where a company called RMA Automotive will convert those pickups to right-hand drive before they’re sold to customers. The very first batch of those pickups was slated to be shipped to Australia last October, though that process actually didn’t begin until this past February following a bit of a delay. Regardless, with some Ford F-150 pickups now in customer hands, it has become clear that there are a few interesting details present on those models, according to CarExpert.
Perhaps the most notable feature is the presence of the keyless entry keypad, which is still located on the left side of the Australian Ford F-150, even though that part of the vehicle is now technically the passenger side, following this conversion. As one might imagine, swapping the keypad over to the other side would be a complicated and pricey process, with Ford Australia F-150 assistant chief program engineer Tom Dohrmann noting that “the journey wasn’t worth it.” However, the keypad remains functional, regardless.
There are a few other interesting details regarding the Australian F-150 worth pointing out, including the fact that – unlike many other vehicles sold in that market – it doesn’t have a unique suspension tune, and it utilizes a modified version of the Ranger Raptor’s steering rack, recalibrated steering software, remanufactured headlights, a new cast magnesium cross-car beam, an injection-molded instrument panel carrier, a new dash, cowl sheet metal in-fill panels, and various other tweaks that help make it legal (and viable) for use in that market.
RMA Automotive is currently in its ramp-up phase of the conversion process, and will soon be able to complete around 20 F-150 pickups per day. All told, it takes around 22 hours across three days to complete the left- to right-hand drive conversion, a process that involves installing or modifying around 500 parts, with many of those components related to the truck’s steering, lighting, instrument panel, and climate control system.
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.
Comments
Generally Ford’s keypads are only stuck to the outside of the car – they actually operate remotely (same as a keyfob). They can be repositioned easily. Some owners relocate them inside the gas cap, to hide them better.
The article says these are market converted vehicles not actually vehicles designed for the Australian market by Ford. The conversions are done by a third party private company. So it’s no mistake of Ford’s.
Also, why do you spend all the time writing ‘The Blue Oval’ when you can just write ‘Ford’?