Ford SVT Raptor: A Truck To Enrapture The Imagination!

The Ford Motor Company has certainly been taking its lumps over the past few years, with 2008 likely to go down as one of the worst years in the company's history. Sales are down, consumer credit is tight, and fluctuating gas prices has wreaked havoc on an already strained industry.

Ford's champion, the F-150 pickup truck, has seen its sales drop sharply as buyers avoid vehicles that consume copious amounts of gasoline in favor of smaller, lighter vehicles which squeeze out every drop of fuel possible. That shift has caught Ford off guard as their most fuel efficient cars can be found in Europe while its American operation leans toward heavier, more powerful vehicles.

Fortunately, fuel prices have dropped by more than 40% over this past summer's highs, giving consumers real relief and allowing car buyers to consider larger vehicles once again. Certainly, a wholesale shift to bigger vehicles isn't going to happen, but the balance appears to be righted, a move which can only help Ford.

Just in time for the next generation F-150's release, the lower gas prices couldn't have come soon enough. When Ford redesigned the F-150, they decided to go with a strictly V8 line up, figuring that the new base V8 would offer comparable fuel economy to the old V6 while giving consumers the power that they wanted. Unfortunately, that move has left Ford exposed as many buyers are shunning V8 power. As a result, Ford is hurrying the development of a new V6 and will soon make available a V8 diesel to supplement its truck series line up.

With the newest F Series, Ford has developed a special truck - the F-150 Raptor - a performance, off-road truck for enthusiasts. Ford shares the following about its latest specialty model:

Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT) taps into growing off-road enthusiast market and builds on the solid foundation of the new Ford F-150 to deliver the ultimate off-road performance truck - the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

Industry-first internal bypass shocks by Fox Racing Shox help provide smooth ride; lower, wider design key to desert racing and off-road performance.

The F-150 SVT Raptor launches with the proven 5.4-liter Triton V-8 with 310 horsepower and 365 lb.-ft of torque; a 6.2-liter V-8 engine will be available after launch.

"Ford trucks have been a mainstay on the off-road racing scene for more that 20 years because of our long history of capability and durability," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president for Global Product Development. "With the F-150 SVT Raptor, we are delivering a true off-road performance truck with the proven 'Built Ford Tough' capability and durability that is at the core of every F-150 and the best in performance thanks to the team at SVT." "Like its fighter jet and dinosaur namesakes, the F-150 SVT Raptor is tough, fast, aggressive, and built with the off-road enthusiast in mind," he added.

The 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor will be built along side the new F-150 at Ford's Dearborn Truck Plant at the historic Rouge Center in Dearborn, Mich.

(Source: Ford Motor Company)