Photo: Ford Media
Some remarkable news came out of Detroit, Michigan, just a couple of days ago that is worth talking about. Oddly enough, the news was news simply because it wasn't new at all. In fact, it has been a reoccurring theme for over four decades.
The Ford Motor Company announced for the 46th consecutive year, its F-Series trucks were the best-selling trucks in America, amassing over 640,000 examples in 2022 alone. What's more, F-Series trucks have been the best-selling vehicles, sedan, coupe, SUV, or otherwise, in all of America for the past 41 years.
To put 2022 sales into perspective, despite all of the commotion surrounding automotive manufacturing, inflation, and rising interest rates, as a result of the 'you-know-what', Ford managed to sell an F-Series vehicle every 49 seconds in 2022.
The last time Ford was unable to lead the U.S. in truck sales was in 1976 when Peanut farmer Jimmy Carter beat Gerald Ford in the presidential race. More so, even as the world plunged headlong into a depression in late 2008 and auto sales took a 40% hit, Ford managed to sell over 400,000 F-Series trucks in 2009. In addition, ever since 2009, F-Series truck sales have increased year-over-year (YoY).
The run is quite a feat from an automotive manufacturer given all of the factors of production that come into play as the economy ebbs and flows, and should be a study on consumerism.
So, what is going on? Has Ford made the best trucks over the last 46 years? Not necessarily. It's highly likely brand loyalty is driving the company's unheard-of sustained run. That is not to say that the company does not manufacture quality vehicles, but with brand loyalty on its side, quality is not paramount to its customer base.
Brand loyalty is a marketing term that describes consumer feelings towards a brand and the dedication to purchasing a brand's product repeatedly with no attention paid to the product's deficiencies, competitors' actions, or changes in the environment.
Until later in life, I religiously wore Levi's Jeans, and some I wore for over twenty years. I watched as they went from a dark navy blue to an almost full-on white. As long as one did not outgrow their Levi's, they would literally last decades. Why? Because the denim material used to make the jeans and the overall craftsmanship were second to none.
Levi's were expensive compared with other brands, but it was worth the expense because they lasted and genuinely became more comfortable as the years of washing and drying cycles mounted. It was not brand loyalty at work as I was getting the best bang for my buck purchasing Levi's.
So back to Ford. Ford trucks are much more expensive than a pair of Levi's and may last just as long, but they are a much larger investment. In addition, the quality may be in question, but it simply doesn't matter.
The quality aspect is the big issue, or isn't it? It was once thought that you should not buy an American vehicle that was built on a Monday or Friday because the build quality was not as good as Tuesday thru Thursday-built vehicles. I am not sure if that was ever proven or if it was just a myth. In this day and age, robotics are not aware of the day of the week, and therefore, quality SHOULD be constant throughout the week, good or bad.
Ford has had its quality issues over the years and even launched a marketing slogan "Quality is Job One," back in the early 80s that ran for almost twenty years. Its trucks have never been so riddled with quality problems over an extended period that it would lose customers as the numbers indicate. But in the end, quality typically does not impact brand loyalty.
Brand loyalty for Ford did not happen overnight and has been building for decades. One of the reasons for this is in the minds of Americans, Ford is still very much thought of as a family-owned company, and in some ways, it is. Unlike GM, Ford never morphed into multiple brands (with the exception of Lincoln-Mercury), keeping things under one roof, so to speak, and gained the trust of consumers. As a result, the family name still adorns dealership signs and corporate buildings worldwide.
Over the past century-plus, Ford has gained the trust of blue-collar America that has been handed down through generations.
With the introduction of the Ford F-150 Lightning and the addition of the Maverick and Ranger trucks, it looks as though the remarkable streak of best-selling years will continue.
Speaking of F-Series Trucks, here is a little rundown of what the different numerical designations mean for the F-Series line.
The F-150 is Ford's full-sized, half-ton all-around truck with a standard payload capacity of 1,000 lbs (454 kgs). A higher payload capacity of 2,300 lbs. (1,043 kgs) is available with different engine and trim packages.
Ford's F-250 is a medium-weight three-quarter-ton truck rated for payloads of up to 1,500 lbs. (680 kgs) depending on the trim package and topping out at 4,300 lbs. (1,950 kgs).
The F-350 is typically the heaviest consumer truck with a standard payload capacity of 2,000 lbs (907 kgs) and a maximum of 7,000 lbs (3,175 kgs) when properly fitted out.
The Super-Duty line of trucks begins with the F-450 with a payload capacity range of 5,400 to 6,200 lbs (2,449 to 2,812 kgs)
To put 2022 sales into perspective, despite all of the commotion surrounding automotive manufacturing, inflation, and rising interest rates, as a result of the 'you-know-what', Ford managed to sell an F-Series vehicle every 49 seconds in 2022.
The last time Ford was unable to lead the U.S. in truck sales was in 1976 when Peanut farmer Jimmy Carter beat Gerald Ford in the presidential race. More so, even as the world plunged headlong into a depression in late 2008 and auto sales took a 40% hit, Ford managed to sell over 400,000 F-Series trucks in 2009. In addition, ever since 2009, F-Series truck sales have increased year-over-year (YoY).
The run is quite a feat from an automotive manufacturer given all of the factors of production that come into play as the economy ebbs and flows, and should be a study on consumerism.
So, what is going on? Has Ford made the best trucks over the last 46 years? Not necessarily. It's highly likely brand loyalty is driving the company's unheard-of sustained run. That is not to say that the company does not manufacture quality vehicles, but with brand loyalty on its side, quality is not paramount to its customer base.
Brand loyalty is a marketing term that describes consumer feelings towards a brand and the dedication to purchasing a brand's product repeatedly with no attention paid to the product's deficiencies, competitors' actions, or changes in the environment.
Until later in life, I religiously wore Levi's Jeans, and some I wore for over twenty years. I watched as they went from a dark navy blue to an almost full-on white. As long as one did not outgrow their Levi's, they would literally last decades. Why? Because the denim material used to make the jeans and the overall craftsmanship were second to none.
Levi's were expensive compared with other brands, but it was worth the expense because they lasted and genuinely became more comfortable as the years of washing and drying cycles mounted. It was not brand loyalty at work as I was getting the best bang for my buck purchasing Levi's.
So back to Ford. Ford trucks are much more expensive than a pair of Levi's and may last just as long, but they are a much larger investment. In addition, the quality may be in question, but it simply doesn't matter.
The quality aspect is the big issue, or isn't it? It was once thought that you should not buy an American vehicle that was built on a Monday or Friday because the build quality was not as good as Tuesday thru Thursday-built vehicles. I am not sure if that was ever proven or if it was just a myth. In this day and age, robotics are not aware of the day of the week, and therefore, quality SHOULD be constant throughout the week, good or bad.
Ford has had its quality issues over the years and even launched a marketing slogan "Quality is Job One," back in the early 80s that ran for almost twenty years. Its trucks have never been so riddled with quality problems over an extended period that it would lose customers as the numbers indicate. But in the end, quality typically does not impact brand loyalty.
Brand loyalty for Ford did not happen overnight and has been building for decades. One of the reasons for this is in the minds of Americans, Ford is still very much thought of as a family-owned company, and in some ways, it is. Unlike GM, Ford never morphed into multiple brands (with the exception of Lincoln-Mercury), keeping things under one roof, so to speak, and gained the trust of consumers. As a result, the family name still adorns dealership signs and corporate buildings worldwide.
Over the past century-plus, Ford has gained the trust of blue-collar America that has been handed down through generations.
With the introduction of the Ford F-150 Lightning and the addition of the Maverick and Ranger trucks, it looks as though the remarkable streak of best-selling years will continue.
Speaking of F-Series Trucks, here is a little rundown of what the different numerical designations mean for the F-Series line.
The F-150 is Ford's full-sized, half-ton all-around truck with a standard payload capacity of 1,000 lbs (454 kgs). A higher payload capacity of 2,300 lbs. (1,043 kgs) is available with different engine and trim packages.
Ford's F-250 is a medium-weight three-quarter-ton truck rated for payloads of up to 1,500 lbs. (680 kgs) depending on the trim package and topping out at 4,300 lbs. (1,950 kgs).
The F-350 is typically the heaviest consumer truck with a standard payload capacity of 2,000 lbs (907 kgs) and a maximum of 7,000 lbs (3,175 kgs) when properly fitted out.
The Super-Duty line of trucks begins with the F-450 with a payload capacity range of 5,400 to 6,200 lbs (2,449 to 2,812 kgs)
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