The Ford F-150 is the best selling pick-up truck for 2016. It was the same in 2015. By all accounts, it will be again this year and 2018. Depending on the source of your stats, the automaker sells an F-150 a couple times per minute.
Ford doesn’t need to worry about maintaining the appeal of this pickup. Still, that didn’t stop them from announcing new features for the latest F-150 during the opening press day of NAIAS 2017 in Detroit.
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During a special ceremony at legendary (and soon to be no more) Joe Louis Arena in downtown Motor City, Ford rolled out the new 2018 F-150 to a crowd of media and dealers. It was only a couple years ago that Ford shook up the truck business by introducing an aluminum body in their top-selling vehicle. The 2018 version sticks with a segment-first, high-strength, military-grade, aluminum alloy body.
Available with engine options including an all-new 3.0 liter Power Stroke turbo diesel power plant, a turbo-boosted V6 and a V8. All of those engines can be married to another truck segment first — a 10-speed automatic transmission.
If the previous F-150 faced any criticism, it was targeted at the truck’s infotainment system. Ford announced imminent improvements to its Sync and app development program at CES just prior to NAIAS 2017, and the 2018 F-150 will employ those upgrades, including an optional WiFi hotspot powered by AT&T. Safety tech enhancements include available, class-exclusive Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection to apply the F-150’s brakes to help prevent a collision with another vehicle or pedestrian.
