Ford F-150 Officially Coming To Australia

Ford F-150 Officially Coming To Australia

Ford Australia will sell its F-150 pick-up truck in Australia by mid-2023 through a right-hand drive, local remanufacturing programme.

The conversions will be performed by engineering specialist RMA Automotive, a Ford Qualified Vehicle Modifier that has delivered more than 100,000 modified Ford vehicles globally.

The remanufactured F-150s will meet all applicable Australian Design Rules and safety regulations. Available throughout Ford’s nationwide dealer network, the vehicles will also carry a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

Ford said customer feedback and the growth of the full-size truck segment in Australia led to the F-150’s return to the local market.

“F-150 has been part of F-Series, America’s best-selling vehicle line, for the past 40 years, with more than 40 million F-Series Trucks produced to date,” said Andrew Birkic, President and CEO, Ford Australia and New Zealand. “With such a local fan base and with full-size truck sales in Australia tripling in recent years, we just knew we had to find a way to bring it back to Australia.

“Whenever I speak to our dealers, they tell me that customers consistently ask about F-150, ask when it is coming, so I am very proud to now be able to say it’s heading our way.”

Working in conjunction with their US counterparts, Ford Australia’s product development engineers will collaborate with RMA to ensure a seamless F-150 conversion.

The remanufacturing of vehicles from left-hand drive to right-hand drive will take place in an RMA-leased facility at the Merrifield Business Park in Mickleham, north of Melbourne. The facility is located in the same precinct as Ford’s new parts supply and logistics hub, and close to Ford’s engineering head office in Campbellfield.

Australian-delivered F-150s will come exclusively with a crew cab body style, a 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 engine and 10-speed transmission.

Ford said more US customers choose the EcoBoost V6 than any other F-150 engine. “When we began looking at F-150 for an Australian return, there was one engine that stood out for us – the 3.5L EcoBoost, which gives F-150 immense power and torque, more than many of its V8 competitors,” said Natalie Manariti, Ford Australia’s Global Trucks Enterprise Product Line Manager.

The vehicle will also feature a suite of safety technology. All F-150 models come standard with Ford SYNC4, collision assist with automatic emergency braking, BLIS (blind spot information system) with cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping system, rear view camera, auto high beams, reverse brake assist, reverse sensing system and post-collision braking.

According to Birkic, more global Fords are headed our way. “The F-150 is part of a new wave of Ford vehicles for our Australian customers,” said Birkic. “We’re listening to customers and breaking down barriers to give them what they want – the best of our global line-up. There’s more where F-150 came from.”