With gas prices at record highs, Ford's heaviest and biggest trucks, the F-350 models and F-450, are surpassing all sales expectations.
The decked out Lariat and King Ranch variations of the F-350, as well as the F-450, are going gangbusters, with the King Ranch up 53-percent over last year, while the Lariat is up 30-percent. Overall, both models are leading their segment. With options topping $17,000 and sticker prices exceeding $60,000, the truck's decent sales are likely a breath of fresh air to the incentive-prone automaker.
Ford has more to brag about in its lighter trucks -- the F-250 also continues to be the top seller in its segment, and the F-150 historically has been one of Ford's most important vehicles behind the Taurus, set to relaunch this fall.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
P to the C @ Jun 5th 2007 10:09AM
What's not to love about a giant Super Duty? If I didn't have to commute every day I'd have one myself.
White Goodman @ Jun 5th 2007 10:15AM
This is surprising... how? People who buy a 1-ton series truck or larger (from any brand) generally have a need for such a vehicle (unlike the half-ton poseurs) and so fuel prices probably don't sway them too much. And people who spend $40K or more on a vehicle probably aren't concerned with spending $3000 on fuel each year. Throw in the fact that diesel is now often cheaper than gasoline, and a 1-ton series truck makes even more sense.
Yay America @ Jun 5th 2007 10:25AM
I love seeing a big monster F-250/350/450 with:
a) nothing in the bed
b) no passengers, just the driver
c) extra points for an obese driver on their way to TGI Fridays
But even more funny and mind blowing is seeing a bunch of "King Ranch" and "Lariat" versions parked in suburban driveways and apartment building lots.
I wonder what a real rancher would think of the little postage stamp of land that these "King Ranch" drivers live on ...
ToyotaNationMyAss @ Jun 10th 2007 7:40PM
Yay America,
a truck that can actually be used for towing, hauling, or just traveling with your family of 6 in luxury...makes far more sense than a sports car that get similar fuel economy and can do nothing at all except go fast and consume even more fuel.
What exactly do you think people use to pull the millions of campers, boats, jetski's, construction equipment, etc, etc...F'n etc????
F'n tool!!!
Jason @ Jun 5th 2007 11:10AM
The "King Ranch" edition is just the top of the line fancy version of the SuperDuty. It's named after a big ranch here in Texas. And honestly I figure "real" ranchers would probably opt for the lower trim models as more 'work' trucks, vs the decked out upscale ones.
And just because you may see these big 1-tonners driving down the highway with an empty bed and only one person doesn't mean they never get used... Just because someone doesn't live on ranch with acreage in the thousands or doesn't always have cargo in the bed or a trailer on the back, doesn't mean they don't need or really use one of these trucks.
We've got a 1-ton Ram Megacab. Most of the time you'll see the bed is empty and I'm driving it solo on my daily work commute. On the weekends is when it sees "truck" duty, hauling our Jeeps on a trailer, or landscaping or construction materials, or helping a friend move, or taking our dogs to the lake, or loaded up with camping gear for a trip. All while getting better fuel economy than a gas truck.
Why'd they used a photo of the old SD though? Not that they didn't sell well, but I would assume that the huge sales numbers are for the new '08 models?
rem83 @ Jun 5th 2007 12:54PM
Jason,
Odds are pretty good you could do the same work with a 1/2 ton, especially since a spec-ed out F-150 tows 11klbs now (3k for the trailer still leaves 4k for each of the jeeps) and hauls 3k. With all the money you would have saved, you could have bought a reasonable car for doing your daily commute and might have found that a car can actually be a lot more pleasant than a 1 ton diesel dually, while at the same time saving money on gas and making the road safer for everyone else on it. I'm not trying to tell you what to do, it just makes a lot more sense to me.
Calebe @ Jun 5th 2007 11:19AM
No one ever accused us of being smart did they.
MIKE @ Jun 5th 2007 11:44AM
Good news for Ford, hearing better and better news lately, why the photo of the old truck though Autoblog??
Tagg @ Jun 5th 2007 11:44AM
What ever happend to freedom of choice? Why is it so wrong for someone to choose to drive a truck or SUV if thats what they want to drive? If they can afford it then go for it! I can't afford to drive one but if somebody else can then good for them. Sure it may be wasteful but you know what, we are all guilty of waste, all of us. Everytime we wash a car its a waste of water because there is no mechanical benefit to washing your car. Everytime you toss food in the garbage thats a waste of food but its a choice, perhaps a bad one but a choice that we are free to make. Just like the choice to drive WHATEVER we want, something we shoud all be thankful for. So layoff the prejudice remarks about truck owners or car owners because lately this website is looking very childish in its remarks. Who knew that autoblog was a requried lesson in second grade classrooms?
Steve B. @ Jun 5th 2007 1:36PM
I don't care what people drive... as long as they take responsibility for it.
For example: If your Giant Texas Mama-Cass tower won't fit in it's parking space at the local Mall Mart, you don't get to park it there. If it's sticking into the lane, or into other parking spaces (namely mine), it is no longer simply your "freedom of choice." If it's crammed in the compact only spaces, and blocking half the lane, it's not an innocent "personal decision." If you want to drive a large vehicle, that's fine, but you get to bite the bullet for the inconvenient size.
I'd also love to see better licensing. You shouldn't be allowed to drive anything larger than the car in which you took a (comprehensive!) driving test. If you can't execute basic evasive maneuvers, or park in tight quarters with the vehicle inside the lines, you don't need to be in it period.
It's all about responsibility that comes with freedom of choice.
Fabulo @ Jun 5th 2007 5:06PM
You keep telling yourself that when we run out of gas. Of course, monster truck and SUVs are only accelerating the problem. Not to mention the geo-politico-wars involved.
There is nothing wrong with wasteful. Nor war. Nor invading foreign countries. We're the Land of the Free dammit!
Timsvtgen1 @ Jun 5th 2007 11:47AM
Yay America: get over it, if someone wants to buy a truck just for the sole intention to fill the bed up with dirt and make it a flower pot for the front yard or whatever...... should it really be a concern of yours? I mean i dont tell you what brand mayo to buy or if your should eat it cause it makes you fat. So who cares what who ever drives?
gary @ Jun 5th 2007 12:13PM
I hope they can sell enough of them to pay the their lawyers in the $2 billion lawsuit about the 6.4 diesel engines.
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/02/navistar-slaps-with-ford-with-2-billion-lawsuit/
gsolman6 @ Jun 5th 2007 1:11PM
Actually what other people drive does affect me. Gas prices are so high b/c demand is so high in part b/c of these machines being used as commuting vehciles.
It does affect me when I get hit by one of these things versus say a Nissan Altima. The latter poses much less threat to my life and limb but the F-body driver, indifferent or unaware, is driving a vehicle that can cause an immense amount of damage to life and property.
Don't worry when I get hit by one of these things I will sue, sue, sue the pants off the owner/ins. company. That way insurance rates for these vehicles may be on par with the amount of damage they can cause.
Can't we get back to the days of trucks being used for work, i.e. not recreational, applications?
Jason @ Jun 5th 2007 1:25PM
rem83,
Yes, we probably could have gotten a 1/2 ton for most what we use our truck for, but honestly we really wanted a diesel -- they last longer, get better fuel economy, and diesel is generally/historically cheaper than gasoline (around here anyway). And I like the possibility of running it on bio fuels.
I've towed with a gasser and there's really no comparison once you get behind the wheel of an oil burner. Trying to keep up with a diesel on our way from Dallas to Las Cruces, NM, for a big Jeep/4x4 event 2 years ago it was really sealed the deal for us on going diesel. We had a GMC Denali XL as the time and it had a hard time keeping pace with the diesel Ram that was leading our group, plus it got at best 7mpg towing. Our new diesel Ram gets 2x that while towing, and it gets better mileage all around than our Denali did. Plus the mileage will only get better with age and the motor will probably go a few hundred thousand miles without issue. We're planning on keeping this truck for quite a long time so we wanted a motor that we knew would be reliable for the long term.
Oh, and our truck isn't a dually, even though it's a 1-ton. ;) We were originally planning on getting a 2500, but the truck we found with all the options we wanted turned out to be a 3500. If there were diesel 1/2 tons available, we might have gone that route, but wanting a diesel motor dictated we get a 3/4-ton or bigger truck.
I wouldn't have gotten a car anyway though, at least not as a highway commuter vehicle in Texas. In the last 10 years I've owned 3 Jeeps (2 of which we still have), 2 fullsize GM SUVs (both now gone), and now the Ram Megacab... cars really aren't my thing -- too small, too low, too easy to break if they hit something or get hit. I see on average probably 2 wrecks a day during my commute, nearly all are a car hitting a truck or a car hitting another car (no joke, I *rarely* see a truck/SUV hit something else). The truck drives off with a scuff on the bumper, the cars always go off on a flatbed wrecker. Any cars I'd even consider driving probably wouldn't be "reasonably" priced anyway.
I spent upwards of 2 hours a day in my vehicle commuting, so it's GOT to be something I enjoy driving, and honestly I love driving my diesel. Parking it can sometimes be interesting, but I see it as giving me more exercise by having to park further out, haha.
3cubedminus3squared @ Jun 5th 2007 1:09PM
This is great news and If y'all want to see these trucks doing work, move to Texas.
I see these and the new Silvy HD all the time working and pulling horse trailers.
And most are the King's Ranch and they are really good looking.
Matt DeCillis @ Jun 6th 2007 12:19PM
We are actually paying less for gas now then in 1918 according to inflation. All you "Gas Is So Expensive" people drive me crazy. You are willing to pay inflation to buy your vehicles but not what powers your vehicle?
golf 5 rules @ Jun 5th 2007 1:29PM
Why buy a car that is as heavy as a house, as big as an elefant and exaustpipes that bulk out CO2 like a Chinese coal burning energy plant?
Hamud @ Jun 5th 2007 3:37PM
@golf
Just because I can...
I find these trucks amazing, wouldn't have one as a daily commuter, but I guess is nice for weekends drives and work.
Rob @ Jun 5th 2007 1:38PM
rem83,
Make the road safer in an f150 vs a HD diesel? Load up an f150 with that 11,000lbs and try to safely merge onto a busy freeway with poor acceleration and small mirrors. And who needs better brakes when towing 11,000lbs? Considering a loaded f150 would not be much, if any cheaper then the HD truck, what money should he have used to buy that second car? I doubt he paid 20k more for the HD. He would have to do a lot of commuting before realizing any savings in money spent on gas.
Just because you see a SD unloaded doesnt mean its doesnt get used. It could be the contruction foreman or owner of the company, who uses it to tow equipment to the site. It might be someone that tows a 5th wheel camper or large boat. You dont need to be a construction worker or own 100 acres to need a deisel truck. But you assume anyone with SD truck thats not loaded down with equipment has a macho man complex. Assume makes an ass of u and me.