January 2013 Truck Sales Report

2012 ended on a pretty strong note, which for the year units totaled 14.5 million,  many indicators lead many people to believe that units sold will exceed 2012. Obviously this is great news if you are in the pick up truck industry but everybody wants to know who sold most trucks. Ford, Chevy and Ram taking the top three truck sales spots, in that order just seem to one of the mainstays of the last century or so.

Going Green with the Ford Raptor EcoBoost

Actually, this truck isn’t even a Raptor, it’s an EcoBoost powered Ford F-150 with a Raptor frame-and body swap. However when it came to light, it’s a more economical way to get in a Raptor without sacrificing power and torque. (SDHQ)

In place of the Raptor’s thirsty 6.2-liter V8 is a far leaner engine called the EcoBoost, V6. But it’s no sacrifice, while Ford’s standard boosted pickup produces 365 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque, the SDHQ (Super Duty Headquarters)  Raptor puts out around 410 hp and around 500 lb-ft. Compare that to the stock Raptor’s 411 / 434 and the V8 seems a little outdated and silly.

Ford Becoming Technology Kingpin

Ford chief Alan Mulally says the expanding number of new gadgets and technologies in cars is actually bringing dealers and customers closer together. As vehicles become more like personal electronic devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops, the relationship between car owners and their local service dealerships is likely to get more closely tied, he says.

As pickups become more electronically sophisticated and the tools needed to troubleshoot and upgrade the trucks become more expensive and proprietary, you can bet technology will bring new vehicle customers and dealerships closer together. At a certain point, there won’t be any other way find out what’s going on inside all the computers.

The First to Two

The all-new 3.2-liter inline-five turbo-diesel engine is already being used in the Ford Ranger sold in        other European markets. Although no EPA fuel economy horsepower and torque numbers are available yet, we do know the Ranger is rated at 197 horsepower and 347 pounds-feet of torque (with 90 percent of its available torque between 1,700 and 3,000 rpm) in Europe; additionally, I have read some rumored reports on a Power Stroke forum that the engine/van combination could get as much as 23 mpg in one-ton form.

2013 F-150 New Features

New features for 2013 F-series Pick up trucks Include:

SYNC with My Ford Touch, Power Telescoping side view pictures, Body colored door handles and Advanced Trac with Roll Stability.