Competition in the heavy duty truck segment heats up as we get our first look at the new 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty trucks.
TranscriptADAM MORATH: Competition in the heavy-duty truck segment heats up as we get our first look at the 2017 F-series Super Duty trucks. I'm Adam Morath, and this is your Autoblog Minute.
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As Ford prepares to release its new Super Duty line to the American worker, we spoke with Doug Scott of Ford's Truck Group to find out what customers can expect from the new F-series line.
DOUG SCOTT: Our truck customer looks at the truck as a tool. And like any tool, they're always looking for more productivity. And in the case of trucks like Super Duty, that productivity takes many forms. So more towing, more payload, better fuel efficiency, better durability, all those dimensions are really important. Then you add to that the application of common cabs.
The cab between the A pillar and the C pillar is the same as the F-150 cab. But for Super Duty and for our customer, the benefit is that cab is bigger. The product will go into production in the fall of next year and be available in dealerships in the fourth quarter of 2016.
ADAM MORATH: For more on what the changes to Super Duty mean to this segment, we go to Autoblog's Greg Migliore.
GREG MIGLIORE: Ford is one of the dominant players in this segment. They-- they've been doing it for a long time. They have a huge amount of market share. The Super Duty has an all-new high strength steel frame and an aluminum alloy body. The aluminum body is pretty significant. Ford says this is actually more dent- and rust-resistant than the old steel unit.
The engine line should look familiar. We're talking V8s gasoline-powered and the power [INAUDIBLE] of diesel, and of course, a gasoline V10. Something new, though, is the new TorqShift-G transmission, which is available on gas-powered V8 F-250s. I think you're going to see a-- a big difference when this thing comes to the market.
ADAM MORATH: Will a larger cab and increased towing capacity help these heavy-duty trucks take off like the smaller F-150? And how will other HD giants from Chevy, GMC, and Ram respond? For Autoblog, I'm Adam Morath.
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