Everyone knows Ford Motor Co. builds and sells a lot of trucks.
It’s sort of like McDonald’s and burgers — or Apple and iPhones.
But even Ford took notice when it opened order banks for the 2023 Super Duty on Oct. 27.
Buyers placed a total of 52,518 new orders in five days, averaging more than 10,000 trucks a day, according to October sales data. These are not reservations, these are orders placed through Ford car dealerships on behalf of actual customers who have decided to purchase the vehicle. Technically, it isn’t counted as a sale by Ford until it’s delivered but the factory is tooled up to build all these orders.
These initial 2023 orders are the fastest ever for the Super Duty, Ford spokesman Said Deep said Thursday. Unlike the Mach-E and F-150 Lightning pickup, these buyers had to place their orders through dealers rather than online directly.
The Super Duty pickup truck has a base price of $43,970 (plus $1,795 in destination fees) that often climbs past $90,000 depending on amenities selected by the buyer. Options include type of engine, wheels, tires, cloth or leather interior, display screen size and massaging seats.
While all F-Series trucks are the backbone of Ford, the Super Duty brings in super dollars for the Dearborn automaker.
“It’s the big dog,” said Erich Merkle, Ford U.S. sales analyst at Ford. “It shows vehicle demand and truck demand remains resilient. This was something I was kind of waiting for — to see what kind of mark the new Super Duty would make, due to the headwinds facing the economy.”
The previous order bank for the 2022 Super Duty closed in April. Dealerships have been keeping wait lists for customers since, Deep said.
Things appear to be doing OK based on the latest sales data, which Ford releases monthly.
“There’s a lot of pent-up demand for our trucks, especially Super Duty,” Deep said.
Tyler Lee, 39, a building contractor in St. Augustine, Florida, ordered a 2023 Super Duty to “pull trailers, tractors, you name it.”
“We’ve tried ’em all as far as work trucks, but I’ve never had any issues at all whatever, even the check engine light, out of 20-something Super Dutys” purchased to date, he told the Free Press Thursday. “We actually put our trucks to work. They’re pulling something every day, off road every day, in four-wheel-drive once or twice a week. We’ve had other trucks that have had nothing but issues.”
The surge in initial orders is an encouraging followup to third-quarter earnings and spotlights the importance of trucks of all sizes. The small Maverick pickup played a key role in third-quarter sales announced last month.
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Ford, like other automakers, has had to stagger production of different vehicles based on supply chain management and parts availability and COVID-19 and factory disruption and supplier challenges. While there’s a strong demand for all-electric trucks and SUVs, Ford has said it has no plans at this time to take Super Duty electric.
The F-150 Lightning has dominated headlines and this reminds consumers and investors that Ford plans to be competitive in both electric and gasoline-powered trucks.
Closing soon
“You haven’t been able to order a Super Duty for a long time. They’re limited production this year,” Jeff King, vice president and general manager at Bozard Ford Lincoln in St. Augustine, told the Free Press. “One of those is mine. I’ve got a 19,000-pound RV and I can’t pull it with anything else.”
He bought a horse farm in July because his wife is an equestrian, so the truck is essential, he said.
Contractors, along with anybody who pulls a boat or trailer or works in agriculture, are customers for a Super Duty.
“They’ll close that order bank in a couple days and you won’t be able to get a Super Duty. If you need to tow a lot of weight, there is no other alternative,” King said. “All you people from Michigan and New York are moving to Florida and we’ve got to build houses for you. Every one of those builders has a Super Duty.”
UAW members build Ford Super Duty trucks at Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville and Ford Super Duty Chassis Cabs at Ohio Assembly Plant in Sheffield. The cabs are used for fleet vehicles such as ambulances and trash trucks.
Karl Brauer, executive analyst for the iseecars.com shopping site, said, “Ford is able to supply a capable, all-new heavy-duty pickup to a marketplace that clearly is still hungry for them.”
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Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid