Ford recently trademarked the name “Ford F-200” with the United States Patent Office. What does it mean? Is Ford planning to sell a new version of their gasoline-powered pickup truck soon, or will this name be reserved for the next-generation electric pickup truck that is coming in a couple of years? Here is our take.
Ford F-200
The refreshed 2024 Ford F-150 lineup will be officially unveiled in about a week from now. We already know a lot about what these trucks will look like because of production-ready prototypes driving around in public. However, we still do not know much about the new 2024 F-150 specs. Don’t worry, we will bring you all the latest official information first.
The Ford F-200 is likely to be a “heavier” version of the F-150. Here is why.
A couple of years ago Ford introduced the F-600 to their lineup. Before the F-600, they had the F-550 and the F-650/F-750 commercial trucks. The F-650 & F-750 did not offer 4WD. Many commercial customers wanted 4×4 combined with heavy payload capability, so the new Ford F-600 was born.
What about the F-200? The current 2023 Ford F-150 already offers a very specific heavy payload package with a rating of up to 3,315 lbs for a V8-powered two-door 2WD F-150. F-150’s maximum towing ability is currently set at 14,000 lbs. This is for a 2WD truck with a 3.5L Ecoboost V6 and a maximum trailering package.
Is there any room to grow above this? If you really want to carry 3,300 lbs or tow 14,000 lbs, you should get a heavy-duty pickup truck (such as the Super Duty F-250). What do you think?
Perhaps, there is a bit of white space left in the market where the Nissan Titan XD used to be. It’s generally a light-duty pickup truck with a heavier chassis, axles, and brakes to handle heavier loads with ease. The Nissan Titan XD is being discontinued (along with all the Titan trucks) in the summer of next year. Perhaps, this is where the Ford F-200 comes in. It can be a light-duty pickup with a heavier fully floating rear axle and a GVWR of 8,500 lbs (or just above 8,500 lbs).
On the other hand, this can also be the name for the next generation of the Ford F-150 Lightning. We do not have much to go on here since Ford has not announced any specs yet. The electric pickup is heavier than a traditional half-ton light-duty, so this is where the F-200 name may fit in.
We hope to know more about this next week. In the meantime, here is a 2023 Ford F-350 on the Ike GauntletTM – the world’s toughest towing test against a Chevy Silverado 3500.
