Ford F-150 looks to build on Raptor success in PH

MANILA: The reappearance of the mighty Ford F-150 pickup might be a head-scratcher for some who remember its truncated stint in the country. One of the knocks on that past model was its gas-guzzling thirst, something that’s not lost on Ford Philippines Managing Director PK Umashankar.

In an exclusive interview with ZIGWHEELS PH, the executive admitted, “We were careful because we understood that feedback, and we wanted to make sure we got a more fuel-efficient F-150 engine.”

That’s probably partly because there is much riding on the second return of the F-150 — at the very least reputationally. As it is unveiled digitally today, the F-Series packs impressive credentials as America’s bestselling truck for the 43rd straight year, and its bestselling vehicle for 38 consecutive years.

The two variants locally available, the F-150 4x4 Platinum SuperCrew AT and F-150 4x2 Lariat SuperCrew AT, are both powered by a 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine with auto start-stop technology mated with a 10-speed automatic transmission with SelectShift that promises, according to Ford, “unmatched power, fuel efficiency, and refinement.”

While there are engine choices available for the F-150 — namely, a 2.7-liter V6 turbo (325hp), a 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel (250hp), a 3.3-liter V6 (290hp), and a 5.0-liter V8 (395hp) — Ford Philippines decided on the 3.5-liter (375hp, 637Nm) largely for its proven relative fuel economy.

“What we wanted here is a right engine that delivers power performance, frugality and fuel economy – (while being) responsible environmentally,” said Umashankar, who further admitted it was a tough task to choose the variants to bring in. Eventually, they decided on the top variants. “That’s what the consumers in the Philippines would want,” he quipped. Our F-150 units are sourced from Dearborn, Michigan.

Timing

The original schedule for the local launch was sometime last March, until the pandemic scuttled plans. But the underlying confidence for the market’s readiness is undeniable. “Over the last three years, we’ve been observing the Philippine market. There are two changes we’ve observed,” said the executive. One is the pickup industry is growing; I think today we’re are close to 15, 16% of the industry pickup segment. Second, uniquely for us, in 2018 we introduced Raptor in the Ranger series, and we found overwhelming success after introduction.”

He added, “In any business, the introduction of an emotional derivative really makes us understand how much a customer embraces a mainstream lifestyle product.”

The unmitigated success of the Ranger Raptor was a particular eye-opener for Ford Philippines, which confirmed the market readiness for a bigger, performance-oriented pickup. “In 2019, the mix of Raptors in the Philippines among the Ranger was the highest worldwide. No one sold as many Raptors to Rangers like we did in the Philippines. This goes on to prove that the customers here are driven by the emotional derivative that Raptor is. The emotional connect that the Raptor exterior brings to the customer is so powerful that we were able to be so successful. In fact, some months, every second Ranger we sold in the Philippines was a Raptor,” shared the executive. “This gave us the confidence that this is the right time… to bring in another strong emotional derivative at the same time.”

With the addition of the two F-150s, Ford Philippines further cements its reputation for having the widest pickup lineup in the country — 15 strong.

The F-150 will be made available in Ford dealerships nationwide starting June 25, with a starting retail price of P2.698 million for the F-150 4x2 Lariat SuperCrew AT and P2,998,000 for the F-150 4x4 Platinum SuperCrew AT. The F-150 4x4 Platinum comes in four colors: Blue Jeans, Star White, Iconic Silver and Agate Black. The Star White color variant, which is a special color for the F-150 4x4 Platinum, is available for an additional P15,000.

The 4x2 Lariat variant also comes in four colors including Rapid Red, Oxford White, Iconic Silver and Agate Black.

“We’re confident that the timing is right,” underscored Umashankar. “COVID-19 put the system in flux, but we still believe it’s the right time to bring the F-150 in.”

You could say that, for Ford, it’s go big or go home.

Photos from Ford Philippines

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