Ford Increasing F-150 SVT Raptor Production
The Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is a bit of an anomaly. Rarely do vehicles entering the fourth year of their product cycle increase production, but when you’ve got a recovering economy, and a good product like the Raptor, demand will be high. Last year, Ford moved about 13,000 SVT Raptors off dealer lots. Compare that to the 3,000 sales per year of SVT’s original truck project, the F-150 Lightning. In 2013, Raptor sales are up 14 percent for the year; in fact, the Raptor has broken sales records in eight of the past 10 months. Here’s another sign these trucks are moving as fast off showroom floors as they can across rough desert terrain: there’s only a 15-day supply of Raptors on dealer lots — the industry average is a 60-day supply.
It’s pretty clear people want the Raptor, so Ford is listening. According to the Detroit Free Press, Ford is working on increasing Raptor production in Dearborn from three trucks per hour to five per hour within 10 weeks. Ford was only building two SVT Raptors per hour when the super truck’s production began in 2009.
For 2014, Ford is introducing the F-150 SVT Raptor Special Edition that features upgrades inside and out.
Ford has yet to announce a second-generation Raptor, but as successful as SVT’s monster has been, you know Ford will give it another go. For a rendering of what the next Ford F-150 SVT Raptor will look like, click here.
via F-150Online
