V6 powerplants continued to outsell their V8 counterparts in the Ford F-150 in August, accounting for 57 percent of all retail sales of America’s best-selling truck. The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, which makes 365 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque, was responsible for 41 percent of F-150 retail sales while the 3.7-liter V6, good for a respectable 302 horsepower and 278 lb.-ft. of twist, accounted for 16 percent.
“We can’t keep the EcoBoost [F-150] in stock long enough,” a General Sales Manager of a Ford dealer told us last week. “It makes more power and is more efficient than the 5.0 liter V8 even though the EcoBoost is more expensive. Even then, the takerate is outstanding.”
The F-Series continues to be America’s best-selling truck for 34 years in a row, selling 48,795 units in August — a 2 percent increase compared to a year ago.
The Motrolix Take
The F-150 EcoBoost story is one of Cinderellian proportions. Ford did something here that has overcome the historic perceptional limitations of “a V6 doesn’t belong in a truck” and “turbochargers aren’t durable.” Other automakers should be taking notes.
Note: all numbers and sales results are for U.S. during August 2011.
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