When Ford began developing the all-new 2015 F-150, gas prices were high and the market needed more fuel-efficient pick-up trucks.
This is why the automaker made a costly shift to an aluminum body for its new F-150 pickup, which is up to 29 percent more fuel-efficient than the model it replaced. But in mid-December 2014, fuel prices in the United States have reached a 5-year low. Average nationwide prices are at $2.5 a gallon for regular gasoline, down 31 percent from a peak of $3.7 in April.
Some analysts believe low fuel prices make it hard for Ford to justify price increases for the 2015 F-150 compared to the previous generation model.
“Ford’s new 2015 F-150, which incorporates a number of advanced but costly powertrain, light-weighting and safety technologies, represents one of the most prominent early examples of this forthcoming change. We question whether consumers will pay the price for this content with $2-$3 gas,” Rod Lache, an analyst at Deutsche Bank in New York, was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.
Ford said last week it has shipped more than 5,000 new 2015 F-150 models nationwide. The company sold 763,402 F-Series pickups last year, 18 percent more than in 2012, making it the top-selling vehicle line in the U.S. for a 32nd straight year.
Ford has hundreds of new F-150 pickups in parking lots around Detroit that are waiting to pass extra quality inspections before being shipped to dealers. The automaker said it expects to reach full F-150 production by the end of December at its Rouge factory in Dearborn, Michigan.
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