The world’s best-selling truck has landed on Australian shores, no doubt sparking fear and loathing in environmentalists and inner-city cyclists.
A shipment of 98 Ford F-150 utes arrived in Melbourne early on Saturday morning after travelling 15,000km from Baltimore in the USA.
The hulking vehicles weighing over two tonnes will now head to a factory in Mickleham in Melbourne’s north, where they will be transformed from left-to-right-hand drives, before being sent to dealerships across the country.
A shipment of 98 Ford F-150 utes arrived in Melbourne early on Saturday morning after travelling 15,000km from Baltimore in the USA (pictured)
The hulking trucks will now head to a factory in Mickleham in Melbourne’s north, where they will be transformed from left-to-right-hand drives, before they are sent to dealerships across the country
But the arrival of the F-150 in Australia will likely concern cycling advocacy groups such as Bicycle Network (stock image)
Andrew Birkic, president and CEO of Ford Australia, said the ute was ‘perfect for those who want to explore our amazing country in luxury and comfort’.
‘Thanks to its 4.5 tonne towing ability, the F-150 ensures Aussies can go anywhere, with almost anything, at any time,’ he added.
But the 2.4-metre-wide vehicles – far bigger than the country’s most popular ute, the Toyota Hilux, which is 1.8 metres wide – will likely spark fury with cycling campaigners.
On Tuesday, advocacy group and charity Bicycle Network shared a report from US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety which analysed the numbers of fatalities on American roads between 2018 and 2021.
It found that there were higher driver and passenger death rates among pick-up trucks and SUVs than other cars.
‘The belief that people are better protected in bigger, heavier and more powerful cars is turning out to be something of a myth,’ wrote Bicyle Network.
‘But the fear that these powerful machines are a serious threat to other road users is turning out to be all too true.’
Ford’s F-150 twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 petrol engines will also doubtlessly provoke angry responses from environmental groups.
The Climate Council’s ‘Ute Beauty!’ report, published in April this year, found that the current two top-selling utes in Australia, the Toyota HiLux and the Ford Ranger, are among the most expensive to run and have poor tailpipe CO2 emissions.
And a report by the Australian Institute, entitled ‘In Reverse’ and published in March, found Australia’s obsession with utes and SUVs was causing emissions to spiral and costing people more in fuel.
‘Australians buy big dumb cars and that means we spend a lot more on petrol than we should,’ the authors wrote.
‘The fact that these cars stay on the road for a long time makes it harder to achieve our emission reduction targets.’
The F-150 – part of Ford’s F-series – is the undisputed market leader in world-wide ute sales
Despite this, utes remain the first choice for Aussie vehicle buyers, with more than one in five of every new vehicle sold in the country last year being a tradie’s workhorse.
In 2022 Australians bought 228,671 compared to just 115,196 hybrid and electric vehicles.
American pickup trucks have taken the Australian market by storm, with RAM currently the biggest supplier in Australia.
In the last month alone, more than 1,200 such pickups have rolled off the production line and onto Aussie roads.
Chevrolet is also seeing sales of the Silverado 1500 pickup soar Down Under.
Ford dealers canvassed by Drive say the F-150 is sold out for six to 12 months – depending on the variant – before any customers have had a chance to take one for a spin.
