What's America's Favorite Vehicle?

If you guessed the Ford F-150, you're correct! According to various sources, including reports by Edmonds, the Ford F-150 has been America's best-selling vehicle for nearly 40 years. This is a tough fact for any motor manufacturer to follow.

The Evolution of the Ford F-Series

The Ford F-Series has undergone numerous transformations since its introduction in 1948. The fifth generation, which spanned from 1967 to 1972, was particularly notable for its increased dimensions and plusher trim levels. In an effort to avoid emissions restrictions, the sixth generation introduced a legendary F-150 model, making it the best-selling truck ever.

The Seventh Generation: A Ground-Up Design

The seventh generation of the Ford F-Series marked a significant change in design since 1965. With improved aerodynamics and fuel economy, this generation also introduced diesel power to the series as well as electronic fuel injection. The blue oval logo was added to the center of the grill, giving it a distinctive look.

The Eighth Generation: A More Rounded Approach

In the eighth generation, body lines softened around the rear to improve aerodynamics. New rounded front clips were added to enhance the overall appearance. The F-100 was discontinued, making the F-150 the lightest pickup on the market.

A New Era for the Ford F-Series

The ninth generation saw significant changes, including a lower hood line to improve aerodynamics. New fenders and grills were added, as well as a high mount third brake light. To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the first Ford produced truck, an anniversary package striped model was released.

A Shift in Focus

In the tenth generation, Ford split the series to develop separate vehicles for both personal use and work purposes. The F-150 became a contemporary vehicle for personal use, while the F-250 and F-350 were designed for work use. This reimagined F-150 took on a whole new shape, with a radically streamlined body.

The Eleventh Generation: A New Era

The eleventh generation saw the introduction of off-road models and sportier versions. All F-150s now come with four doors and navigation systems become available for some models. The F-150 won numerous awards as the best pickup truck, cementing its status as America's favorite vehicle.

A New Chapter for the Ford F-Series

The twelfth generation marked a new chapter in the history of the Ford F-Series. With the introduction of the SVT Raptor, which is a dedicated off-road pickup with increased towing capacity and a V8 cylinder engine, this generation continued to evolve. The 2011 F-150 offered an automatic transmission and electric power assisted steering.

A New Era of Efficiency

The thirteenth generation saw significant changes in terms of weight reduction, with nearly every panel switched to aluminum. However, the bulk of the frame remained high-strength steel. This new approach has allowed the F-Series to maintain its reputation for durability while reducing emissions.

America's Love Affair with Trucks

It's clear that America's love affair with trucks has only grown stronger over the years. According to a report by Edmonds, every state in America apart from California and Florida prefers either a pickup or an SUV. This is a testament to the enduring popularity of the Ford F-Series.

The Future: Electric Power

Coming soon, the Ford F-150 electric option promises to shake up the status quo. A video demonstration has been released, showcasing the prototype's capabilities by throwing over 1.25 million pounds of rail cars and trucks during testing. With this new development, it remains to be seen whether the Ford F-150 will live up to its tough name.

The Humble Beginnings of a Legendary Vehicle

It all started with a humble workhorse, intended for farmers and trade people. However, over the years, the Ford F-Series has evolved into a personal transportation vehicle for millions of Americans - both individuals and families. With nearly 40 years of dominance in the market, it's clear that the Ford F-150 has become an iconic symbol of American ingenuity and durability.

The Legacy Continues

Today, the Ford F-Series remains America's favorite vehicle, with less than 15 percent of owners using their pickups for their original intended purpose. This is a testament to the versatility and practicality of the F-Series. As the years go by, it will be fascinating to see how this legendary vehicle continues to evolve while maintaining its reputation as one of the most beloved vehicles in America.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhat's america's favorite vehiclewill give you a clue it's not a motorcarif you guessed the ford f-150 pickupyou are right according to auto week inthe past three yearsan average of 900 000 f-150 pickups havebeen soldeach year that's 2 486 pickups per day103 every hour 24 hours a dayseven days a week now that's a lot ofpick upwhat makes the f-150 pickups thetop-selling american vehicle since 1981.it's nearly 40 years during this time atotal of 40million ford f-150 pickups have beensold just to give you an idea of howmany thatis imagine parking them a bumper tobumper in a long linethe line could circle the globe not oncebut multiple timesthere's a lot to be amazed about when itcomes to the ford f seriesfirstly it was the first realpurpose-built pickup truckuntil then the pickups were just anafterthought secondly today only 15of these pickups actually do whatthey're originally built forit started a new trend that hascontinued to this dayford f1 pickup was built as a workhorsebut it soon became a popular personalvehicle loved by all americansthe f-150 was only officially releasedin 1972but its story started much earlier thanthatsince 1947 world war ii was ended andcar companies that were focused onsupplyingvehicles for the troops now turn theirattention to getting ordinary americansmoving againsay you're handyman that year you need avehicle to do your jobso you take a look at your options therearen't many in factyou only have two choices you can get aheavy duty truck but it's way too bigyou don't have that much stuff you needto transport and you need to use thevehicle for personal use toosince you don't have enough money to buytwo vehicles how's your day gonna feelwhen you arrive to pick her up in amonster truckthere are smaller trucks but they arereally just lightly modified passengercars don't have enough space for yourload and they aren't nearly tough enoughfor what you needfeel a bit like goldilocks even lessoptionsshould you choose the truck that's toobig or the modified passenger carit's too weak luckily for you ford hasjust released a third option which isjustright it's the f1 pickup truck a purposebuilthalf punt pickup built from the groundup it's specifically designed for liketruck use and doesn't lookanything like the afterthought of apassenger car maker while competitorsonly offer inline six cylinder enginesford f1 has three optionsone of which is a legendary 100horsepowerv8 yeah back in the day 100 horsepowerwas a lotit also has some passenger car comfortsincluding a wide cab and curvedone-piece windshield not seenin any of its competitor there areoptions for a passenger side sun visorand windshield wiper as well as ac-clearwindshield washer this is operated byfoot puncher and useful for people whosejob takes them to dirty or muddyenvironmentsand it comes with additional chrome primand two hornsit is marketed as the 1948 f1 bonusbuilt pickupford advertising claims the trucks arethe amazing result of timeproved proc engineering principles theycall it the ford bonus builtconstructionwhich claims to make trucks stronger andlast longerford's intent is to create somethingrugged but comfortable for commercialoperationsbut people soon start seeing theadvantages of having a vehicle that canhandlelight hauling duties horse owners willneed to carry a few bales of haynow they can do this with a vehicle thatis comfortable enough for everyday usetoosoon driving a truck doesn't mean you'rea farmer or ranch handthe f1 appeals to a much larger marketpeople begin buying them for lifestylereasons and using them as passenger carsford is quick to recognize the trend itstartedso the next generation model is designedwith this wider market in mindlet's take a trip to the evolution ofthe iconic f-150 to see what changed andwhat stayed the samea massive redesign for the secondgeneration includes features to turn thef-100from a work truck to a vehicle thatanyone in the family can driveburning radius is reduced automatictransmissionpower steering seat belts and heatingand ventilation systems are introducedroomier interiors include options likeradiosdome lights armrests and cigarette lightis at this point that the series namehas changed from f1to half ton f100 f2 and f3merging to become the three quarter tonf-250and f4 became the one-ton f-350the third generation sees a modern newbody with integrated fendersand hood and a clamshell designfour-wheel drive models become availablethe fourth generation sees the seriesbecome longer andlower a mid-cycle design introduces thetwin i-beamfront suspension which allows the frontwheels to runindependently this results in moremaneuverability and a smoother ridethe ranger name makes its firstappearance as a pickupit's used to denote the high levelstyling packfifth generation 1967to 1972 dimensions of the fifthgenerationincrease again and plusher trim levelsbecome availablethe grille design gets updated a camperspecial 1972f-250 is introduced the sixth generationintroduces a legendaryf-150 model in an effort to avoidemissions restrictions this becomes thebest-selling truckever it sits between the f-100 and thef-250the four-wheel drive super cab isreleased fourseats now mean you can use it as afamily car even though the rear door isa little awkwardthe seventh generation is the firstground-up design since 1965.it has improved aerodynamics and fueleconomythe blue oval is added to the center ofthe grilldiesel power is added to the series aswell as electronic fuel injectionpower mirrors windows and door locksmake their appearance as do tintedwindshieldsthe f-100 is discontinued making thef-150 the lightest pickup on the marketbody lines soften around the rear in theeight generation modelswhich also sport a new rounded frontclip to improve aerodynamicsit's the first year the five-speedmanual overdrive transmission and someof the models get electronic fuelinjectionthe ford f-150 becomes the first pickuptruck that's sold on a non-carburetedengineit's 1989. the f-150is now america's best-selling vehiclethe hood line in the ninth generationgets lower to improve aerodynamicsit gets new fenders and grills and ahigh mount third brake lightan anniversary package striped model isreleased to commemorate the 75thanniversary of the firstford produced truck it gets more hightech with keel's entryalarm and a compact disc playerthe trend towards a personal vehiclecontinuesmore and more people are purchasing thef-150 for personal lifestyle rather thanwork usein the tenth generation ford splits theseries in order to develop separatevehiclesfor both types of buyers the f-150becomes a contemporary vehiclefor personal use while the f-250 andf-350are designed for work use the reimaginedf-150 takes on a whole new shapeit has a radically streamlined body itloses the traditional twin i-beam andgets fullindependent front suspension thesupercab becomes the first pickup in theclass to havefour full-size doors it's also the 50thanniversary of the f-seriessales search to nearly a million in2001.more variants appear in the 11thgeneration including off-road models andsportier versionsall f-150s get four doors a navigationsystem becomes available for the firsttime on some modelsthe f-150 wins numerous awards as thebest pickup truckthe 12th generation includes a new modelsvtraptor is a dedicated off-road pickuptowing capacity is increased a v8cylinderbecomes standard on all f-150 modelswith the six cylinderthe 2011 f-150 offers the 3.5direct injected twin turbo ecoboost v6automatic transmission is the onlyoption electric power assisted steeringbecomes availablethe 13th generation gets lighter bynearly 750 poundsnearly every panel is switched toaluminumbut the bulk of the frame remains highstrength steel13 generations and 80 years lateramerica's love for the fseries pickups continues it may havestarted primarily as a work tool withfew creature comfortsbut today less than 15 percent of ownersuse their pickups for the purpose it wasoriginally intendedin 2019 it was the best-selling vehiclein americathe f-series won in 31 states includingmost of the midwest and souththis is according to a report by edmondswhich also saysthat every state in america apart fromcalifornia and floridaprefers either a pickup or an suv whatcan we say we just love our truckscoming soon is the f-150 electric optionwill it live up to the tough ford nameford releases a video demonstration ofthe prototypethrowing more than 1.25 million poundsof rail cars and trucks during the testyou judge for yourself the ford f-150might have started as a humble workhorsea basic transportation for farmers andtrade peoplebut today it's become the personaltransportation of millions of americansboth individuals and families the fordf-150 has been america's most favoritevehicle for nearly 40 yearsthat's certainly a tough fact for anymotor manufacturer to followyou\n"