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The Blue Oval says it is confident in the future of the US pick-up category, positive that an updated F-150 will help boost interest in the market.
Ford has dismissed doom and gloom predictions for the future of US pick-ups in Australia, as it hopes to grow its sales in the increasingly busy category with a heavily updated model.
But it has acknowledged that rising fuel prices amid conflict in the Middle East threaten interest in the super-sized vehicles, powered by petrol V6 and V8 engines that can consume 13 to 15L/100km in regular driving.
Sales of full-size US pick-ups fell by 17.4 per cent last year, with its F-150 recording a sharper slump after spending much of the last year under a stop-sale order to rectify quality problems arising from the conversion from left- to right-hand drive.
Now back on sale in facelifted form, Ford is buoyant about the potential for the F-150, as well as the broader US pick-up market – but it is acutely aware of how the ongoing war in the Middle East has affected fuel prices.
“From our point of view, it's a pretty robust segment, and we think we have a class-leading product that deserves to lead that segment,” Ford customer experience and sales director John Hatzimanolis told Australian media.
“But at the same time, we're not necessarily shielded from all the [increased] fuel prices and all the other things that are occurring [in the world].
Alongside rising fuel prices, the F-150 now competes in a more saturated market, with a new rival in the Toyota Tundra and a slew of more affordable Chinese alternatives straddling the gap between regular-sized utes and the US offerings.
While they may not compete on outright performance and towing ability, they offer competitive space and features for a lower price.
Car brands that don't compete in the US pick-up market have expressed concerns about joining the category.
Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris told Drive last month: "I'm not sure if there's much of a market for those super-sized utes", citing "awkward" timing with tough, new emissions laws and "quite impractical" body styles that have limited appeal to Australians.
Asked about the trajectory of the US pick-up market in Australia, Mr Hatzimanolis said it’s likely too soon to tell how these new effects will impact the launch of the new F-150.
“So in the short term, I'm not quite certain what that looks like [for full-size pick-ups locally],” said Hatzimanolis.
“Over the longer-term horizon, I think they will find that the segment does stabilise. Maybe it's at 0.8 or 1 per cent [market share], somewhere in that vicinity, as the market matures, right across the wall. That's probably still a big variable at the moment.
“But again, we have a right to play there because we think we're probably the best product in the segment.”
The full-size pick-up segment accounted for 0.7 per cent of new vehicles reported as sold last year, down from 0.9 per cent a year prior.
Tom started out in the automotive industry by exploiting his photographic skills but quickly learned journalists got the better end of the deal. With tenures at CarAdvice, Wheels Media, and now Drive, Tom's breadth of experience and industry knowledge informs a strong opinion on all things automotive. At Drive, Tom covers automotive news, car reviews, advice, and holds a special interest in long-form feature stories.
