Ford Is Going to War Against GMC and Ram With New Tailgate Designs: Report
Sounds like upcoming versions of the F-150 will get even more interesting.
When it comes to bed space functionality, Ford didn't exactly neglect the redesigned 2021 F-150— as it's practically a ready-made food truck. But one area where Ford still lags is in the tailgate department, which, while laden with extra features, remains more conventional than GMC's novel MultiPro and even Ram's barn door-style offerings. This could soon change, however, as Ford is reportedly preparing a trick tailgate of its own, one said to be coming to a future year of the F-150.
Citing "sources familiar with the project," Ford Authority claims the Detroit giant "has benchmarked" the multi-use tailgates of its competitors, and is developing multiple concepts for its own tailgate. One such concept is said to be a barn door-style setup similar to Ram's, but made from three sections rather than two, with the ability to fold out left, right, and as is tradition, downward.
Ford's tailgate project is allegedly in an early prototype phase, with multiple concepts reportedly mocked up in mediums including foam and plywood. Should one design emerge as a winner, it will need to undergo re-engineering for mass production and extensive testing before becoming an available option on future Ford F-series trucks. And when it does, it will reportedly first launch on the F-150 and gradually become available on other models.
One possible feature for Ford's own multipurpose tailgate could be a built-in movie projector, for which the Blue Oval filed a patent a few years back. The automaker indicated to The Drive about a year ago that the patent was just standard procedure, and didn't foretell the gadget's introduction on future Fords. Novelty tailgates as a whole remain of little interest to Ford, which sees little value in gadgety tailgates according to Ford trucks spokesperson Dawn McKenzie.
"When we developed the all-new F-150, we conducted extensive customer research with truck customers to solve pain points and further enhance how they use their trucks," McKenzie explained to The Drive. "We found more value in creating the Tailgate Work Surface and Pro Power Onboard as ways to enhance the functionality of the bed and tailgate rather than pursuing the development of a multimodal tailgate."
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