IT’S BEEN QUITE SOME TIME coming but finally, Australian buyers can buy the large pick-up in right-hand drive, direct from the factory.
To mark the milestone, the company recently invited select owners to tour the RMA Automotive facility in Mickleham, north of Melbourne, where the trucks are re-manufactured into right-hand drive.
The customers met Ford Australia’s Product Development engineers as well as RMA Automotive leadership for an in-depth tour into the facility, which can re-manufacture up to 20 F-150s each day, using an assembly line with 65 individual stations. The re-manufacturing process takes around 22 working hours over three days to complete each vehicle.
The customers also had a chance to take an F-150 for a test drive, experiencing the truck’s unbeatable capability, comfort and Built Ford Tough quality first-hand.
Originally manufactured in Detroit, United States, the F-150s undergo an uncompromising and detailed re-manufacturing process at the facility. The rigorous process requires around 500 new parts and recalibration of key systems to suit Australian needs, including the steering, climate control, lighting systems, as well as the instrument panel and software upgrades.
Located in the same precinct as Ford Australia’s new parts distribution centre, the 21,000 square meter RMA Automotive facility sees engineers from Ford and RMA Automotive collaborate to ensure the F-150s are re-manufactured to exacting ‘Built Ford Tough’ standards, with the aim to offer the same unbeatable quality, capability and comfort that have captured the hearts of F-150 customers for 75 years.
The Ford F-150 XLT and LARIAT, in both short wheelbase and long wheelbase variants, is now available for Australian customers alongside the full Ford vehicle range through Ford’s nationwide dealer network.
Nationwide customer deliveries will ramp up throughout November