It looks like Ford’s decision to drop the F-150 Harley-Davidson Edition was justified by the increasing demand for the off-road performance pickup, the F-150 SVT Raptor. Ford says sales have hit record highs in 8 of the past 10 months, with production increased from two trucks per hour when the model launched in 2009 to five trucks per hour in 2013.
Ford says sales are up 14 percent in 2013 and that the Raptor is one of the fastest-turning vehicles in the automotive industry. Whereas vehicles spend on average 60 days on U.S. dealer lots before being sold, the F-150 SVT Raptor has a 15-day supply on dealer lots.
The success of the Raptor shows a shift in U.S. consumers’ preferences, as traditional pickup truck customers like businesses and individuals working in the building and moving industries are now supplemented by buyers who want luxury and performance from their pickups.
The 2014 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is the latest variant of the off-road performance truck, adding interior and exterior upgrades that refresh its appearance. The Raptor is available exclusively with a 6.2-liter V8 engine producing 411hp and 434 lb-ft (588 Nm) of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with tow/haul mode and SelectShift Automatic functionality.
It is also equipped as standard with a four-wheel drive system that features electronic shift-on-the-fly capability for the transfer case. The front axle features a Torse differential with 4.10:1 gearing, while the rear axle is also 4.10:1, with a high speed electronic-locking differential.
By Dan Mihalascu
PHOTO GALLERY
