UNITED STATES NEWS

Updated Ford F-150 gets new grille, other features as Ford shows it off on eve of Detroit auto show

Sep 12, 2023, 12:40 PM | Updated: Sep 13, 2023, 5:22 pm

DETROIT (AP) — The top-selling vehicle in America will get a bit of a facelift next year, one of just a few new or updated vehicles that will be shown off this week at Detroit’s big auto show.

Ford unveiled the latest version of the F-150 pickup Tuesday night at an event next to Huntington Place, the convention center that will host the North American International Auto Show starting with media day on Wednesday.

It’s one of only four new or revamped vehicles to be unveiled at the show, including models from Stellantis’ Jeep off-road brand, and from General Motors’ GMC and Cadillac brands.

That’s far short of the 40 or 50 new models that were often unveiled during the show’s heyday. During the past four or five years, automakers have been shunning auto shows as the preferred places to reveal new models. Instead, they’re opting to show them online for less money and at times when they don’t have to share the limelight with others.

Detroit automakers are also in a standoff with the United Auto Workers union, with the two sides seemingly far from reaching a new contract agreement before a Thursday night deadline.

The Detroit show will instead focus more on experiences for consumers, including an indoor electric vehicle track and on-street ride-and-drives. Tesla, absent from the show for years, returns for those events and with a display on the floor.

The F-150 will get a new front grille, dark-colored headlamps and some new vents, as well as added features. Ford will drop a 3.3-liter V6 engine as the base powerplant. Even the lowest trim line of XL now will get the company’s more powerful 325-horsepower 2.7-liter twin-turbocharger V6 as standard equipment. All other engines remain.

Inside, the interior gets an update, plus all models get a 12-inch touchscreen as standard equipment.

Gas-electric hybrids, which Ford says are now 10% of all F-150 sales, will see the same cosmetic changes as well as a smoother transition between gasoline and electric power.

Perhaps the coolest feature is what Ford calls the “Pro Access Tailgate,” part of which can swing open like a door for loading and unloading even while towing a trailer. Of course, the hitch will fold flat as well. The feature is standard on top trim lines, optional on others, and not available on lower-cost models.

Chief Engineer Milton Wong says testing is still being done, but while emissions are lower in the 2024 model, he doesn’t expect the F-150’s fuel economy to improve over the 2023 models. To meet future government gas mileage and pollution requirements, engineers will recalibrate the engines, transmissions and exhaust systems, he said. Currently a two-wheel-drive F-150 with a 2.7-liter engine gets 26 miles per gallon on the highway.

This is the second update on the F-150 without changing the truck’s underpinnings, a trend in the industry to get several product cycles without major changes. In the past, vehicles would get new underpinnings every four or five years, but automakers have been conserving capital so they have money to develop and build electric vehicles.

Wong said the current F-150 platform is very capable, and using it multiple times allows engineers to concentrate on technology to make towing easier or provide electric power at job sites.

“The reality is that most of these platforms are so good that completely engineering it from scratch every four years doesn’t make any sense,” said Sam Abuelsamid, an analyst with Guidehouse Insights. With automakers spending billions to develop and manufacture electric vehicles, it makes sense to keep existing internal combustion vehicles on the road longer, he said.

The updated F-150 goes on sale in the U.S. sometime next year at a starting price of $35,570 excluding shipping. That’s about $1,700 more than the current base model.

Other vehicles revealed at the Detroit show Wednesday include an all-new Acadia large crossover SUV from General Motors’ GMC brand. It’s built on new underpinnings and it gets bigger with more space for people and cargo. Its wheelbase, the distance between the center of front and back wheels, grows by 10.6 inches over the current version, and it’s 3.2 inches taller. It also gets a new interior. The new Acadia will be available early next year.

Stellantis showed off an updated version of the Jeep Gladiator, which could be called the Wrangler pickup truck. The 2024 version gets a new front grille, power seats and standard side curtain air bags. But trail lovers, fear not. Even with wiring for power seats, Jeep says the Gladiator can still ford through nearly three feet of water. All versions get a standard 12.3-inch touch screen. The Gladiator goes on sale later this year.

Cadillac is refreshing the CT5 luxury sports sedan for the 2025 model year. On the outside, the car gets a new front fascia, a lower and wider front grille and redesigned lights. There’s a 33-inch diagonal LED color touch screen inside that curves toward the driver. The car keeps its standard 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 237 horsepower and an optional 3-liter twin-turbo V6 with 335 horsepower. Production starts next spring.

Prices were not released for any of the three.

____

This story has been corrected to show that the Cadillac CT5 is a 2025 model year vehicle, not 2024.

United States News

Associated Press

Atlanta will pay $3.75M to family of Nebraska man who died after being handcuffed and held face down

ATLANTA (AP) — The city of Atlanta will pay $3.75 million to the family of a Nebraska man who died after police handcuffed him face down. The City Council approved the settlement Monday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, after the Fulton County medical examiner determined that Ricardo Dorado Jr.’s death on Aug. 21, 2022 was a […]

40 minutes ago

Associated Press

2 Army soldiers killed, 12 injured in crash of military transport vehicle in Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Two U.S. Army soldiers were killed and 12 others injured after a military transport vehicle flipped on a dirt road leading to a training area in Alaska, officials said. The single-vehicle accident happened Monday as the soldiers headed to the Yukon Training Area near Salcha, or about 30 miles (48 kilometers) […]

41 minutes ago

File - Construction workers move equipment on Jan. 17, 2023, in New York. On Tuesday, the Labor Dep...

Associated Press

Another sign that the US job market remains hot after US job openings rise unexpectedly in August

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. job openings rose unexpectedly in August, another sign the U.S. labor market remains strong in the face of higher interest rates. American employers posted 9.6 million job openings in August, up from 8.9 million in July, the Labor Department said Tuesday. Economists had expected only another 8.9 million vacancies. The number […]

2 hours ago

Associated Press

Stellantis recalls nearly 273,000 Ram trucks because the rear view camera image may show on screen

DETROIT (AP) — Stellantis is recalling nearly 273,000 trucks in the U.S. because the radio software can stop the rear view camera image from being displayed. The recall a nnounced Tuesday by U.S. safety regulators covers certain Ram 1500 pickup trucks and some Ram 3500 chassis cabs from the 2022 and 2023 model years. Also […]

3 hours ago

Associated Press

Parents will stand trial in 2021 Michigan school shooting that killed 4 students

DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court turned down an appeal Tuesday, clearing the way for the parents of the Oxford High School shooter to face trial on involuntary manslaughter charges. James and Jennifer Crumbley are accused of making a gun available to Ethan Crumbley and ignoring his mental health needs. The state appeals court […]

4 hours ago

Associated Press

11-year-old shoots, injures 2 teens following altercation at Florida Pop Warner football practice

APOPKA, Fla. (AP) — An 11-year-old boy retrieved a gun from an unlocked box in his mother’s vehicle and shot two 13-year-olds following an altercation that began during a Pop Warner football practice in central Florida, police said Tuesday. The child fired one shot on Monday night, hitting one teen in the arm and the […]

4 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

re:vitalize

When most diets fail, re:vitalize makes a difference that shows

Staying healthy and losing weight are things many people in Arizona are conscious of, especially during the summer.

...

Mayo Clinic

Game on! Expert sports physicals focused on you

With tryouts quickly approaching, now is the time for parents to schedule physicals for their student-athlete. The Arizona Interscholastic Association requires that all student-athletes must have a physical exam completed before participating in team practices or competition.

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

5 mental health myths you didn’t know were made up

Helping individuals understand mental health diagnoses like obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder or generalized anxiety disorder isn’t always an easy undertaking. After all, our society tends to spread misconceptions about mental health like wildfire. This is why being mindful about how we talk about mental health is so important. We can either perpetuate misinformation about already […]

Updated Ford F-150 gets new grille, other features as Ford shows it off on eve of Detroit auto show