Summary
- Ford trademarks F-200, hints at a potential new pickup model that falls between the F-150 and F-250 in terms of capability.
- Speculation suggests the F-200 could be an electric truck, aligning with Ford's plans to expand its future EV business.
- The success of the F-150 Lightning makes the F-200 the logical next step for Ford, with features such as over-the-air updates and semi-autonomous systems expected.
Out of all the legacy automakers, Ford seems to be the one most focused on not being left behind by the competition. A few days ago, Ford filed for a trademark of the name F-200 in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This could mean a couple of different things. If we base ourselves on Ford's pick-up names like the F-150, F-250, F-350, and F-450, then an F-200 model could very well be an F-150 with a bit more capability with regard to towing capacity and load.
Not quite an F-250, but more than the F-150. But if Ford has learned something from the recent success of the more compact Maverick, and if you take a moment to consider the gap in payload and towing capacity between the F-150 and F250 pickups, it is not very clear if an F-200 model would be simply a more capable F-150.
Is There A Spot For A F-200 Model Between The F-150 And F-250 Super Duty?
Is there a big enough gap between these two trucks to justify jamming an F-200 model in there? Because if there isn't, then we could be looking at even more exciting news. At this point, this is all just speculation, since a trademark application doesn't really offer any detail with regard to Ford's Plans for the F-200 name.
F-150 Vs. F-250 Towing And Payload Comparison
F-150 | F-250 | |
Towing capacity | 14,000 pounds | 23,000 pounds |
Payload | 3,310 pounds | 4,268 pounds |
But the fact of the matter is, the F-200 could also be a new electric pickup that Ford's CEO Jim Farley has talked about recently. According to Jim Farley, Ford's future EV business will add another two million vehicles produced per year globally to an already sizable production of five million vehicles annually. The end game is to grow the company's revenue by 30 to 40 percent.
There Is An Expectation From A New Truck From Ford In 2024
Ford and GM continue to clash over the second position of the domestic battery electric vehicle (BEV) market. Ford has been working on centralizing its battery material needs and processing inside the U.S. for a couple of years now, and the company is in good shape to start presenting new BEVs to the market at a faster pace. Hence, the expectation for the F-200 name. Could this be the T3 truck Jim Farley teased in the recent past?
The T3 truck is supposed to be launched sometime in 2024. We know it's going to be an electric truck that's built for work, so maybe it will be that truck that is a step above the F-150 Lightning. This truck is supposed to have technology no one has ever seen before, and Ford's CEO has been playing this very close to the chest to not give Ford's competitors any hint of what's about to hit them.
The F-200 Could Be The Next Logical Step After The F-150 Lightning
The F-150 Lightning has proven to be quite a success story for Ford, and while the company has been struggling to keep up with demand, they are acting fast to make the necessary adjustments to its production line. Since there are a lot of moving parts coming together at once as the company sets itself up for its electrified future, it is only natural to expect that the F-200 could indeed be this mysterious new Ford Truck coming in 2024.
The expected features are frequent over-the-air updates aiming to improve the truck's software, and a semi-autonomous system that's supposed to be really safe, allowing drivers to take their eyes off the road, not just their hands out of the steering wheel, especially during highway driving, among others. Ford also recognizes that a lot of its truck customers use the vehicle for work, and interior features that facilitate the use of devices or a laptop with internet access are also expected.