Reports of Ford delaying 2017 F-150s are incorrect, trucks now in dealers
10-speed automatic testing is complete, so there is no wait to purchase a 2017 model.
We reported earlier that Ford delayed shipments of the 2017 F-150 pickup truck. Ford was quick to note that this is incorrect, and that its 2017 models are now on sale at various dealerships.
Reuters reported that Ford delayed shipments of its 2017 F-150 and Raptor pickup trucks in order to undergo additional testing related to the all-new 10-speed automatic transmission. According to Ford spokesman Mike Levine, this information is incorrect. Links to dealerships, website listings and our friends at Future Motoring show that 2017 F-150s and Raptors are, in fact, being sold at dealers across the country.
The 10-speed automatic is the product of a joint venture between General Motors and Ford, so GM products will eventually sport this transmission too. In Ford's case, it comes mated to the automaker's 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 engine, where it boosts fuel economy by single digits compared to GM's old six-speed automatic.
Automakers have been extra careful when releasing new products over the last couple years, and for good reason. High-profile screw-ups such as Dieselgate and GM's ignition-switch recall have put the spotlight on automakers to get it right the first time. In that sense, it would have made sense to delay introducing a new transmission. If it were true, that is, which it was not.
For the last 34 years, Ford's F-Series trucks have been the bestselling lineup in the United States, and Ford hopes to make it 35 once 2016 wraps up. For the 2015 model year, the automaker was the first pickup manufacturer to move its light-duty pickup to a high-strength aluminum body.
Correction, 11:45 a.m. EST: We originally reported that 2017 Ford F-150 shipments were being delayed. The source information was incorrect. We regret the error.
