2018 F-150 Power Stroke Diesel Still on Track for Spring 2018
Considering the bad diesel news as of late, is Ford’s 3.0L Power Stroke for the F-150 still on track?
Light duty diesel engines haven’t been doing so well in the news lately. In addition to Dieselgate from Volkswagen, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and General Motors are facing lawsuits regarding diesel emissions. We sometimes wonder if light-duty diesels are dead?
We were recently at Ford HQ talking to their team about the horsepower and torque figures for the 2018 Ford F-150 and Ford Expedition. Of all the numbers they provided, the diesel wasn’t included.
With so many members of the team around, it made sense to talk about the diesel. Is it still on track?
“Yes. We’re still planning on a Spring 2018 launch,” F-150’s marketing manager Brian Bell told us.
It was always a late availability option, and we knew that when they announced the new truck at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit last January. It takes time to get the engine certified, and obviously they want to do it right.
They have to do it right. We’re unsure that the FCA 3.0L EcoDiesel, even with aftertreatment, can meet the requirements for emissions set by the EPA. Volkswagen has more-or-less given up on diesels, especially in the United States. It’s also unclear how GM will handle the current Duramax lawsuit.
Ford has to get it right from the beginning if they want small diesels to have any chance of success in the United States. While we know it’s not going away in Super Duty and more-powerful work trucks, the survival of them in small trucks — and I believe in cars — rests on Ford’s ability to pull it off in the F-150.
A silver lining for diesel fans lies in that Ford knows how important the F-150 is to the company. F-Series is how Ford makes money, and it’s pivotal for them to be successful with all of their offerings.
They seem to get it. The slow-selling Tremor wasn’t renewed. A new Lightning, while cool, wouldn’t sell particularly well so I don’t expect to see one. They know what products sell and what products don’t.
That’s why I have confidence they’ll pull off diesel in as clean of a way as possible. They can’t afford a misstep, and they are smart enough and have the talent to pull it off successfully.
I’m not the only one looking forward to driving the diesel F-150.
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