Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
It really is hard to overstate just how important it is for Ford to nail the upcoming all-electric F-150 pickup truck right from the first try. The model has been America's bestselling pickup for 43 years and bestselling vehicle for 38 years - if shoes to fill came any bigger than that, you'd be able to see them from space.
Of course, it's not as if people expect the battery-powered F-150 to make up most of the model's sales anytime soon. However, the market seems to be shifting, and even though the pickup segment took longer to respond, change is coming there as well. Just look at all the models lined up for release over the coming 18 months: the Ford will go against Tesla's Cybertruck, Rivian's R1T, Bollinger's B2, GM's Hummer and (Nikola) Badger, and Lordstown's Endurance.
That's six electric pickup trucks, each offering something different. So, what will the F-150 bring to the table? According to Ford's president of the Americas and international markets, Kumar Galhotra, that would be its focus on work. In other words, towing and hauling ability.
“While all other electric pickups are competing for lifestyle customers, the all-electric F-150 is designed and engineered for hard-working customers that need a truck to do a job,” he said, quoted by CNBC. It'll be a true "Built Ford Tough" truck then, offering everything current Ford F-150 customers expect to find in a vehicle wearing that badge.
However, that statement could be interpreted as a bit of an excuse from Ford. Just because the competition might offer a product appealing to the "lifestyle customers" as well, it doesn't mean their vehicles won't also be "tough." That could just as well be seen as added value.
Might Ford be trying to lower the expectations a little? Could it be the company isn't really ready to offer a competitive electric pickup truck, so it's trying to hide this inability behind some well-crafted PR words? Hard to tell at this point but mocking the competition when you don't really know what they have in store usually says more about your product than theirs. With the launch set for mid-2022, there's still plenty of time for Ford.
That's six electric pickup trucks, each offering something different. So, what will the F-150 bring to the table? According to Ford's president of the Americas and international markets, Kumar Galhotra, that would be its focus on work. In other words, towing and hauling ability.
“While all other electric pickups are competing for lifestyle customers, the all-electric F-150 is designed and engineered for hard-working customers that need a truck to do a job,” he said, quoted by CNBC. It'll be a true "Built Ford Tough" truck then, offering everything current Ford F-150 customers expect to find in a vehicle wearing that badge.
However, that statement could be interpreted as a bit of an excuse from Ford. Just because the competition might offer a product appealing to the "lifestyle customers" as well, it doesn't mean their vehicles won't also be "tough." That could just as well be seen as added value.
Might Ford be trying to lower the expectations a little? Could it be the company isn't really ready to offer a competitive electric pickup truck, so it's trying to hide this inability behind some well-crafted PR words? Hard to tell at this point but mocking the competition when you don't really know what they have in store usually says more about your product than theirs. With the launch set for mid-2022, there's still plenty of time for Ford.
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