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The first shipment of Ford F-150 pick-ups destined for Australia is already on the way from Detroit, as local remanufacturing to right-hand drive prepares to ramp up.
The 2023 Ford F-150 is one giant step closer to Australian showrooms, with the first shipment of pick-ups already on the water and on their way to Melbourne ahead of a multi-million-dollar right-hand-drive remanufacturing program.
Despite fears there would be significant delays – given Ford’s engineering partner RMA had never before undertaken a left- to right-hand-drive conversion program on such scale – the F-150 is on track to hit its forecast arrival in the second half of this year.
At this rate, the first customer deliveries in Australia of the locally-remanufactured right-hand-drive Ford F-150 are expected by October, pending any unforeseen setbacks.
Ford dealers are already reporting lengthy delivery delays before the first vehicle has made it into showrooms – and before anyone has taken a test drive.
The current wait time stretches six to 12 months, depending on the model – and the dealer’s allocation.
Ford Australia has been developing a right-hand-drive version of the F-150 for the past three years – including half-a-dozen validation vehicles to ensure the approximately 500 new components meet factory safety and quality standards.
As with the Ram and Chevrolet pick-ups – both of which are remanufactured to right-hand drive by the Walkinshaw Automotive Group, the former parent company of Holden Special Vehicles – the Ford F-150 will be converted locally, in this instance not far from Ford’s former Falcon factory at Broadmeadows.
A Ford Australia representative told Drive the first shipment of Ford F-150 pick-ups – which are yet to be converted – are “on the water and on their way”.
Drive understands the RMA remanufacturing facility is in the final stages of completion before it starts to ramp up local conversions.
Ford is yet to say how many F-150 pick-ups it will reassemble locally this year, however it is normal industry practice to start production in small numbers before ramping up to capacity.
This gives engineers and production line workers time to address any unforeseen issues early in the build process.
The Ford F-150 will arrive in Australia amid booming sales of US pick-ups.
Chevrolet has also posted strong growth locally however it is outsold by Ram by almost three-to-one in Australia.
While Ram and Chevrolet are each sold via separate networks comprising about 50 dealers, Ford has close to 180 showrooms nationally, giving it a much larger footprint than its rivals.
Ford also has short- and long-wheelbase versions of the F-150 coming – and sharper prices than its peers.
As previously reported, the Ford F-150 line-up will start from $106,950 plus on-road costs in Australia and be available in two model grades and two tray lengths (short wheelbase and long wheelbase).
While the older base-model Ram 1500 ‘DS’ – which is currently in run-out – starts from $85,950 plus on-road costs, the new-generation Ram 1500 ‘DT’ costs from $109,950 and the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 costs from $128,000.
One unknown: Ford has elected to import the twin-turbo V6 petrol-powered version of the F-150 even though it will be going up against V8-powered Ram and Chevrolet pick-ups.
Although it might lack the V8 roar, Ford says the twin-turbo V6 petrol-powered F-150 delivers better performance and fuel economy than its V8 rivals.
North America’s ‘Big Three’ – Ram, Chevrolet and Ford – will soon be joined in Australia by a fourth competitor: Toyota.
Toyota has been working on a locally-remanufactured right-hand-drive Tundra for almost five years, but the vehicle is not yet on sale because the Japanese auto giant is applying the same quality audits as a factory-built vehicle.
If the Toyota Tundra gets the green light for sale in Australia – Toyota Japan has never before granted permission for a third party to reassemble one of its vehicles to right-hand-drive on this scale – it too will be twin-turbo V6 powered, but also backed by fuel-saving hybrid technology.
To read the review on a US version of the new Toyota Tundra Hybrid, click here.
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