Canadian Dealers Electrified by F-150 PowerBoost
Photo: Ford
Ford Motor Company of Canada may not be expecting its all-new PowerBoost V6 hybrid to be a major volume seller, but that hasn’t stopped the excitement around it. Automotive News Canada reports that dealers across the Great White North are hotly anticipating the 2021 F-150’s arrival with some particularly excited about the hybrid.
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Last month, Auto News Canada suggested that Ford sees the F-150 PowerBoost hybrid as being something of a niche seller. The next-generation F-150 carries over its current engine lineup, including the twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 and 3.0-liter Power Stroke turbo-diesel, giving customers more than their fair share of choices. Ford expects that properly equipped trucks with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost will deliver best-in-class max towing and that properly equipped trucks with the legendary 5.0-liter V8 will offer best-in-class payload.
But the new 3.5-liter PowerBoost is poised to provide customers in Canada and abroad with an ideal balance of power, capability, and efficiency. Ford isn’t just promising an EPA-estimated range of 700 miles on a full tank, but it’s targeting class-topping horsepower and torque numbers as well as a minimum 12,000 pounds of towing. Canadian dealers have expressed interest in the PowerBoost as it gives the F-150 yet another leg up on competitors.
Making the F-150 PowerBoost all the more appealing is the fact that it includes standard Pro Power Onboard. Every F-150 equipped with the PowerBoost gets a built-in generator with 2.4 kilowatts of output, accessible through in-cabin outlets and up to four bed-mounted 120-volt outlets. PowerBoost models are also available with a 7.2-kilowatt Pro Power Onboard that includes a 240-volt 30-amp outlet in the bed.
Will the price be right for PowerBoost?
One concern raised by industry experts is the continued and impending economic ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ford F-150 continues to far outpace its segment competitors, but a late-year charge from the Ram 1500 in 2019 is said to have Ford with “their eye on the rearview mirror,” according to J.D. Power Power Information Network Senior Manager Robert Karwell.
John Bardwell of Toronto-based brand loyalty firm Bond Brand Loyalty has no doubt that the 2021 Ford F-150 will hit the right notes for customers in Canada and keep Ford well ahead of Ram. He worries, however, whether there “will there be enough people with money to make it happen.”
However Ford prices the all-new 2021 F-150, even with the uncertainty of the North American and global economy, it’s a fair enough bet that Canadian dealers will sell a whole bunch of new trucks in 2021 — including a fair number of PowerBoost hybrids.
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Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.