Ford Motor Company is gearing up to release the next generation of its massively popular F-150 pickup truck. To prepare for the rollout, the company surveyed 2,000 American truck customers to find out what makes them tick. The results are interesting, but not all that surprising for anyone who’s spent any time driving on our roads.
Ford sells more F-Series trucks than Toyota does Camrys in the United States—in fact, the F-150 is frequently the country’s best-selling vehicle overall. Because of that, the Blue Oval knows its trucks are deeply ingrained into American culture. Over 3,000 movies and TV shows, nearly 200 songs, and even a postage stamp have featured Ford pickups over the years, and that’s likely to continue as the company rolls out its new F-150 on June 25.
If you somehow had doubts that Americans love trucks as much as we’re saying, the data may change your mind. The survey found that 82 percent of people would give up a streaming service (Netflix, Spotify, etc.) for a whole year before they’d give up their truck. Another 79 percent said that they’d give up alcohol, and—here’s the kicker —38 percent of people would give up having sex for a year before letting go of their trucks.
This, combined with the fact that 15 percent of surveyed owners have a tattoo of their trucks somewhere on their body, paints a discouraging picture for anyone hoping that our roads will soon be dominated by tiny hybrid cars.
The good news on that front is that Ford found 40 percent of truck owners would be excited about the idea of an electric pickup truck. The company says it will release a battery-powered version of the F-150 within the next two years, and we’ve already seen what the prototype can do.
If you’d like to watch the unveiling event for the new F-150, tune into Ford’s YouTube channel at 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 25.
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