’13 Ford F-150 Geared Toward Dual-Use Buyers, Marketing Chief Says

The fullsize-pickup segment in the U.S. has evolved over the past decade, with most customers who once purchased the trucks strictly for personal use now exiting the segment.

Instead, today’s buyers use their vehicles both for work and as their primary mode of transportation, says Raj Sarkar, Ford F-150 marketing manager.

In response to the trend, Ford’s’13 F-150 lineup features some styling changes from the previous generation and the addition of several new technologies.

“Our philosophy on (the) F-150 is never stand still; we’re always looking to do continuous improvement,” Sarkar tells WardsAuto. “A lot of (changes made to ’13 model) were driven by consumer feedback. That’s important for us.”

The ’13 pickup lineup receives new grilles and L-shaped high-intensity-discharge projector headlamps that Ford says are best in class and enhance lighting performance.

Three new body colors, which seem to reflect today’s buyers’ dual use of the trucks, include Blue Jeans Metallic, Kodiak Brown Metallic and Ruby Red Clearcoat Metallic.

Inside, midrange models come with a Sync infotainment system with an 8-in. (20.3-cm) color touchscreen. The system has been modified for truck users, Sarkar says, crediting consumer feedback for the new audio and climate-control buttons beneath the touchscreen.

The upscale Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum models all come with the MyFord Touch infotainment system, and the addition of the buttons is meant for gloved hands and for drivers who don’t necessarily want to scroll through the touchscreen menus to adjust oft-used audio and climate settings.

“We have a range of buyers, some of whom are going to be most comfortable with hard buttons, all the way up to those that are extremely tech-savvy with speech commands and the touchscreen,” Sarkar says.

The ’13 F-150 range also adds a new trim level – the Limited, which will be revealed later this month. Sarkar hints at the model, noting it will be upscale.

The F-150 Limited is “more of a specialty vehicle,” he says. “There are customers looking for capability, but they want all the luxury content, too. We’ve found when we do specialty models that are unique in design and execution; there are a lot of people out there enthusiastic about them.”

The ’13 F-150s powertrain lineup is carried over from the previous generation. Engine options include a 3.7L V-6, 5.0L V-8, 6.2L V-8 or a 3.5L direct-injected turbocharged EcoBoost V-6.

F-150 sales rose 16.2% through May to 233,136 units, compared with year-ago, according to WardsAuto data.

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