Ford's F-Series pickups are not just America’s best-selling trucks—they are America's best-selling vehicle, and have been for decades. Every year, in the US alone, the automaker sells more than 800,000 F-150s (the smallest of the family), and they're a major profit driver. When Ford's new CEO announced major budget cuts last year, he also added extra investment into electric vehicles and pickups.
All of which is to say, the F-Series is vital to Ford, and it's not the kind of thing you mess with lightly. But the company knows things are changing. Batteries and motors instead of large V-8s could give designers new freedoms like multiple axles and minimal hoods. Self-driving tech could free people from car ownership, letting them summon their required vehicle when necessary. Humanity's relationship with the automobile is evolving, and so the automobile must evolve as well.
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