Speech: FORD F-350 TONKA Concept Reveal, NAIAS, January 6, 2002
2002 NAIASJim Padilla
Good afternoon, and welcome to Ford's first news conference at the 2002 North American International Auto Show.
Leadership. That's what Built Ford Tough is all about. Leadership through product excellence.
Trucks continue to be the foundation of our business. When we speak of getting back to basics, we speak of building great cars and great trucks. And this means never losing sight of what our business is really about: great product. We have a long history of building great cars and trucks and we'll have a long future of doing the same.
Don't think we have lost our focus. We haven't. Products are our priority. Great products delivered with the highest level of quality. Let me say that again: Great products and the highest level of quality. It is that simple. That's what we have promised our customers and that's what we will deliver. That's what leaders do.
Ford is the Number One selling brand of cars and trucks in America - and it has been for 15 years in a row. Five of the top-ten selling vehicles in America wear the Ford Blue Oval.
F-Series has been the Number One, best-selling vehicle in America for 20 years and the best-selling truck for 25.
Ranger has been the best-selling compact pickup for 16 years. Explorer, the best-selling SUV for 11 years.
Escape, which was new in 2000, is now the best-selling small SUV in America.
Americans will continue to come to Ford as long as we continue to deliver on the promise of a leader: to make the best trucks.
The types of trucks customers want.
The types of trucks customers have come to expect from Ford, The world truck authority.
Quality trucks.
Dependable trucks, Good companions for work and play.
Yes... even the kinds of trucks... you wanted as a kid.........
J Mays
Okay, who says size doesn't matter?
In the past ten years alone, Ford has sold nearly 8 million F-Series trucks - EIGHT million. For a designer, what an opportunity: the trucks we imagine and shape become the common backdrop of our American landscape.
With that in mind: here's a version of the F-Series no American can miss.
Say hello to the Ford Mighty F-350 TONKA. This is not just a concept - far from it, this truck hints strongly at the shape our next generation F-Series will take. And I know very well how important that vehicle is. In fact, it is at the very heart of our leadership.
As you know, much of my career was spent in Europe, and when I came back to the US, it took me a while to regain an appreciation for the scale of these trucks. But not too long.
Remember, I did grow up on a ranch in Oklahoma. I do know the value of tough trucks.
And as a kid, I also knew the value and the strength of a good TONKA.
So the alliance with TONKA on this concept vehicle is a perfect fit for us. What grown up doesn't want the ultimate TONKA?
The toughness, power and durability.
Really, that's exactly what Ford trucks are all about. And what you see embodied in the design DNA of this truck...the powerful stance of the vehicle.
The strength and muscle in the exterior shape.
The pronounced chrome grill with Super Duty nostrils. The strong geometric wheel arches.
It's clean. It's honest.
It's uncluttered.
On the inside, we feature what will become a stable of Ford trucks. We call it "Tough Luxury" - think of it as elegance without wood.
We use bold switches and over-size knobs with a look similar to high-quality power tools.
The Commander's seat puts the driver in total control and features a full floating suspension just like the big rigs.
Directionally, the Tonka signals the future of Ford Tough Trucks.
But this truck is far more than a design exercise. As Richard Parry-Jones, Group Vice President of Product Development, will tell you, there's some great technology under the skin.
Richard Parry-Jones
That's right J. This is a powerful truck.
And this is a powerful engine.
This is our new concept diesel, the Power Stroke Super-600. This 32-valve, turbocharged V-8 is an engineer's delight.
It is cleaner, stronger, and more efficient than any diesel we currently offer. It is also considerably quieter.
Early tests indicate that this concept engine, installed in an F-Series truck, could bring a 55 percent improvement in what we call the articulation index - that's the normal sound levels at cruising speed. That's the ability to converse in normal tones easily.
This truck engine is rich with new technologies and ideas.
It features a new Hydraulic Rail fuel injection system, which gives us more injection pressure than most Common Rail systems through hydraulic amplification.
And it uses pilot injection, to better control the combustion event for cleaner emissions and quieter operation.
It also utilizes a hydraulically- actuated, variable-response turbo boost system, which greatly expands the usefulness of the turbocharger.
This system helps the performance of this engine immensely.
(PROP - A HANDHELD, ADJUSTABLE FAN)
Imagine that a conventional turbocharger is like this simple fan - it works reasonably well, although it really only has two settings: On or Off.
It provides boost to a certain extent, but at the same time, it is somewhat limiting in its performance.
Our variable-response turbo, on the other hand, is like a fan with an unlimited number of settings.
Using the engine's hydraulic pressure, we can infinitely adjust vanes within the turbo and maximize the efficiency of the system across a large range of engine speeds.
The turbo starts spinning earlier and spins more efficiently.
That means reduced turbo lag and reduced exhaust losses.
For the customer, that means better performance and economy.
It is a better technology.
This 6.0-liter engine can turn out 350 horsepower and 600 lb-ft of torque...a new benchmark in specific torque for heavy duty diesel engines designed for rugged longevity that commercial users demand.
Ford is the leader in diesel engines for trucks - and we plan to stay there, thanks to better engines like this.
We also plan to stay the leader, thanks to better ideas in the rest of the powertrain.
For example, downstream from the powertrain in this vehicle is a novel technology we call Hydraulic Launch Assist - another great idea we are investing in very seriously.
This system recovers energy normally wasted when a vehicle is slowing, stores it in the form of hydraulic pressure, and then reuses it to accelerate the vehicle.
(PROP - CHILD'S TOY)
It's rather simple in concept: imagine a child's toy that winds up when you pull it back across the floor and then launches when you release it.
Hydraulic Launch Assist is very much the same concept.
As the driver applies the brakes, a pump connected to the driveshaft forces hydraulic fluid into a high-pressure accumulator.
This hydraulic pressure is like a spring.
When it is time to accelerate again, the flow of the fluid is reversed, like a spring unwinding.
The pump, now forced by the hydraulic flow, becomes a motor that turns the driveshaft, delivering enough energy to begin accelerating the vehicle while the primary engine idles.
It is an interesting system we want to develop further.
It is intriguing because it captures and reuses energy that's normally wasted during braking and decelerating events. And the rewards are high: This system has the potential of greatly increasing city driving fuel economy by 25 to 35 percent, particularly in large trucks. It could be much higher.
There is a place in this world for big trucks - without them, our economy would stand still.
We need buses, dump trucks, delivery vehicles and hard working, tough trucks. But we need to make them more efficient and cleaner. We can do both, and we will.
The Mighty F-350 TONKA, with this strong new diesel and innovative systems like Hydraulic Launch Assist, are further steps along the journey. A journey that will lead to continued Ford Truck leadership.
At the opening of this press conference, we talked about leadership. To us, that is more than sales numbers. Leadership is about influencing the entire industry - making it better. As leaders, that's our task.
The Mighty F-350 TONKA is a leader's vehicle. It shows the way to the future in both design and powertrain. It's filled with good ideas that we will bring forward in future trucks. We are the world truck leader.
Please feel free to come down and take a closer look at these designs and technologies.
On a final note, as we talk about leadership, you won't want to miss our 6:30 press conference here tonight... we will see you there.