Ford to cut 2009 F-150 order combinations by more than 90 percent
08/18/2008, 3:55 PM
By Drew Johnson
Although choices are always a good thing to have, it’s still possible to have too much of a good thing. Case and point: the 2008 Ford F-150. The outgoing model of Ford’s popular pickup truck can be ordered in billions of different combination. This staggering fact has inflated production costs and reduced dealer turnover. But the Blue Oval has addressed the problem and will greatly reduce the number of order combinations for the ’09 truck.
For 2009, Ford will reduce the number of F-150 options from the billions to around 10 million – a reduction of more than 90 percent, according to the Michigan automaker.
By reducing the number of available combinations, it will allow Ford to streamline its production operation and will also ensure that dealers get popular models instead of highly-customized trucks that often sit on dealer lots for up to 12 months.
But the F-150 will be just the first in a long line of vehicles that will represent the new way of thinking at Ford, according to Automotive News. Following the F-150’s October launch, Ford will reduce the number of combination available of the Expedition from 250,000 to less than 10,000, and has set a goal to average about a 1,000 combinations throughout its car offerings. As previously reported, the 2010 Ford Focus will have just 150 possible combinations.
08/18, 3:58 PM
posted by:
archcommus
Billions? I’d need to see the math to believe that.
08/18, 4:06 PM
posted by:
A4
so do the math, there are an incredible amount of ways to get one, there are all kinds of trims, xl, xlt, lariat, king ranch, harley, fx4, etc. and from there you choose each option, bed size, cab size, 2wd, 4×4, bedliners, leather, cloth, navi, gear ratios, probably 10 different wheel styles or more, bench seat, captains chairs, multifunction steering wheel, i can go on for days.. i wouldnt doubt billions are easily possible.
08/18, 4:20 PM
posted by:
rms492
Yeah, billions? I find it hard to believe…………
08/18, 4:22 PM
posted by:
frost
I agree with you A4, plus there are the colour combos with the trucks, with lower two tone paint, mid tone paint, lower running boards, body coloured, black, crome, fixed, piped, or the plastic kind, plus all the interior colours to choose from, and then there is the 3 tone leather in the king ranch versions, with 15 leather choices, with 8 carpet and door trim options.
08/18, 4:22 PM
posted by:
HemiRoadRunner
Billions? Yeah, once again the retards at LLN over-exagerate the story.
08/18, 4:25 PM
posted by:
crackerhemi
Great! Now cut the other 10% combos and then we are really talking. Chapter 11 here they come!!
08/18, 4:26 PM
posted by:
beatusmongous
10 million combinations is still a lot of freakin’ combinations.
08/18, 4:36 PM
posted by:
mujician
Come on people let’s not go overboard. Their are only 32 combinations you can go with. Granted it is the most amount of combinations in a 1/2 ton, still exagerated.
08/18, 4:49 PM
posted by:
Jordan
the “billions” statement comes from ford, not lln.
frankly, it wouldn’t surprise me. ford has always offered a sickening amount of customization on all their vehicles.
08/18, 4:59 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
This is great news for current owners because if you ever go to sell yours you can put ‘one of a kind’ in the ad and chances are pretty good you’ll be right.
08/18, 5:05 PM
posted by:
mayer_ray_nagin
If you go from 1 billion combos to 10 million, you have reduced by 99%, LLN.
Math: learn it, live it, love it!
08/18, 5:59 PM
posted by:
volcano_
the math for the billions is pretty simple. if you assume all options are either [Yes or No] options, you’ve got 2 choices per option. all you need are 32 options on your order sheet and you’ve got 4 billion order combinations.
2 ^ (number of options) <- 2 to the power of…
since some options like the color of your truck aren’t limited to 2, you can easily get to billions without 32 distinct options (A4 listed many).
08/18, 6:27 PM
posted by:
1c3d0g
A4: you nailed it!
08/18, 6:28 PM
posted by:
ktulu
2 many
08/18, 7:14 PM
posted by:
DeansterTJ
Thank you Volcano. Some of the retards on this board flunked grade 6 math a few times and quit. I’m looking at you, Homoretard. And you, mujician, take a break from sucking someone’s c.ock to post something? Welcome back whorebag!
08/18, 8:13 PM
posted by:
DrFill
So it only took them 50-sumpin’ years to figure out how to build a mediocre truck, without the fat?
Great.
Next thing you know they’ll build a car with quality.
I didn’t ruin the 2040 Car Of The Year, did I?
DrFill
08/19, 12:38 AM
posted by:
bigp
well its still the best truck onthe road
08/19, 12:05 PM
posted by:
yarddog82abn
SAY WHAT YOU WANT, 30 YEARS AGO THE U.S. AUTO MARKET (ECONOMY) WAS IN THE SAME BIND.
WE ALL WILL RECOVER FROM THE BAD TIMES “THAT IS NOW” AND THE U.S. AUTO MAKERS WILL GET BACK ON TRACK, MABE NOT #1 BUT IT WILL SALE AGAIN AND TURN A PROFIT. U.S. AUTO MAKERS WILL NOT CLOSE IT’S DOORS, SORRY FOR ALL YOU ANTI-AMERICAN TERROIST, IF WE DON’T ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM WHO WILL???
08/19, 1:04 PM
posted by:
hbcbob3
bigpeepee: how blind you must be…
08/19, 3:45 PM
posted by:
jonmiles
It is no exageration that there are billions of combinations. They should have addressed this sooner
08/27, 3:33 PM
posted by:
mikemacnn
mayer_ray_nagin – not 99 but 90%