Inside the F-150 redesign

The Bold and the Beautiful?

The Ford Motor Company hopes so. But now all it can do is wait to see if America embraces its newly redesigned flagship truck when it is introduced in all its glory on Sunday at the Detroit Auto Show.

In this insightful look into the desparation that is Dearborn these days, journalist Bryce G. Hoffman of the Detroit News says the redesign of the 2009 F-150 started out as a simple changing of the grill. A tweak, relatively minor. But it became so much more. Instead of a touch up, Ford ended up responding to challenges by Toyota to its traditional stalwart position atop the domestic truck market, and to company-wide, internal financial pressures, by undertaking a complete redesign. The beefier-looking F-150 with completely new badges is an all-important, you might even say a bold move, for a company in dire need of a major victory.

Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News

The 2009 F-150 pickup that Ford Motor Co. will unveil Sunday has come a long way from the modest makeover the Dearborn automaker had originally planned for its flagship.

What began as a plan to slam a new grille on the existing model became a nearly complete redesign of the truck. While Ford is holding back full details until the F-150's official debut at the North American International Auto Show, The Detroit News has learned that Ford's designers and engineers have touched nearly every piece of the truck, inside and out -- all in an effort to make sure America's best-selling vehicle stays ahead of the competition.

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