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The shooters at KGP Photography have just gotten their first shots of a final, production-spec prototype for the ’15 Ford F-150, caught running on public roads.
The F-150 is expected to follow the design lead foreshadowed by Ford's Atlas Concept, which bowed during January's North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Elements of the Atlas concept can be seen peeking through bits of the camouflage.
As important as the next F-150's styling is what it will be made of. There are rumors of extensive use of aluminum, which could result in massive weight reduction. Questions remain as to just how far Ford is willing to go in its use of the expensive and tricky metal. There are some interesting things around the rear wheelwells of this F-150 prototype—unpainted metal with the look of untreated aluminum around the rear bed—which may provide the first clue to the metallurgical makeup of this massively important product within the Ford empire.
Sources say that this next F-150 will utilize Ford's new range of V6 engines (being developed under the codename "Nano"), likely displacing 2.9L in the F-150 range. Direct injection and dual-stage turbocharging are rumored to be part of the Nano's defining technologies. A diesel engine is also a near certainty for the next F-150 range.
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Photo credit: KGP Photography