Sept. 24, 2015—Ford will unveil its 2017 F-Series Super Duty pickup later today at the State Fair of Texas. The new F-Series Super Duty lineup of pickups and chassis cabs is switching from a steel body to an aluminum body, according to a report by USA Today.
Ford said it had to take two assembly plants down for a few months as it converted the body and bed of the F-150 to aluminum, which slowed down sales in the final months of 2014 and into 2015. Converting the Super Duty lineup will not require downtime beyond next year’s normal shutdown during the summer at the Kentucky Truck plant in Louisville. Kentucky Truck has almost completed its new body shop, which will make it easier to produce the truck when production starts in the fall of 2016.
“This is the first all-new cab for the truck that was first introduced 17 years ago and the first truck in the segment to have an all-aluminum cab,” said Dennis Slevin, vehicle engineering manager, according to the report.
The F-Series Super Duty pickup comes in five trims: XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum. The new cab is four inches longer with a new interior, seats and storage including a hidden compartment under the rear seats. Engines include the carryover 6.2-liter V8 gasoline engine on the F-250 only, as well as the 6.8-liter V10 gasoline engines and there is a 6.7-liter V8 turbo-diesel engine and there is a new six-speed transmission for the F-250, according to USA Today.
