2021 Ford F-150 Pickups Begin Arriving At Dealerships Across The Country, 14th-Generation F-Series Already Winning National Awards Too

On several F-150 enthusiast forums and Facebook groups, the anticipation is growing. Photos get posted of 2021 F-150s on trailers or trains headed toward dealerships throughout the country. The excitement is in the air.

It’s almost like Navin Johnson in The Jerk yelling, The New Phone Book Is Here! But when it comes to the arrival of the 2021 Ford F-150, the excitement is understandable as with a pandemic, Ford and its fans have dealt with a lot of delays. But all of that being said, Ford has done an admirable job launching the 14th generation F-150.

And just yesterday, as I posted here on Torque News, Ford added to the 2021 lineup with the announcement of a Tremor package. This truck will be “less than” a Raptor, but “better than” the FX4. And it will, by the way, be available in Antimatter Blue, according to Ford.

And judging by the reactions I saw from enthusiasts, Ford will sell a lot of the Tremor package when it’s available mid-next year. And of course there’s the Raptor we are all waiting on. I expect to hear from Ford very soon regarding a confirmation of the next-gen Raptor.

I do expect it will have the GT500 V8 engine in it, or some iteration of that, and that should appease all the V8 fanatics out there. Try to write about any truck without a V8 and that’s the first comment – “Needs a V8.”

While I don’t think a V8 is necessary much anymore, I did get confirmation from Ford that V8s are still going to be part of their future, so rest easy everyone.

Arrival of the 2021 Ford F-150
The Ford F-150 arrives in dealerships nationwide this week, and early sales are indicating that customers can’t wait to start driving the newest version of the F-Series, America’s best-selling truck.

The first sales of the truck have already occurred in the Midwest and F-150 is now on its way to dealers in other parts of the country; the number of retail orders placed is at an all-time high.

“Customer sold orders are up over 210 percent from a year ago November, and dealer orders for stock are more than double the current production schedule,” said Mark LaNeve, Ford vice president, U.S. marketing and sales. “It’s apparent that this F-150 is something that our customers both want and need.”

Dealers are enthusiastic about deliveries, as well.

“I’ve been selling Fords for 28 years, and I’ve never seen my staff this excited about a vehicle launch,” said Tim Hovik, owner of San Tan Ford in Phoenix. “The F-150 is the gold standard of trucks.”

I have heard that some OKTB dates have been pushed back for those who ordered fold flat seats and also the special tow mirrors. No word officially if there’s a part issue due to the pandemic or what the holdup is.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, with four big product launches, 2021 will be a pivotal year for Ford and their dealers are excited and maybe little nervous about, considering the pace at which America may come out of the pandemic.

2021 F-150 receives Kelley Blue Book recognition
Ford has earned top honors from Kelley Blue Book – a leading industry buyer’s guide – for the seventh consecutive year for the all-new F-150, while the Expedition full-size SUV has earned a Kelley Blue Book Best Buy award for the fourth consecutive year.

Kelley Blue Book’s annual Best Buy awards are determined based on a yearlong regimen of expert vehicle evaluation of nearly every new vehicle available in the U.S., along with analysis of a broad array of vehicle-related data, including vehicle pricing, five-year cost-to-own – which includes depreciation, insurance, maintenance, financing, fuel, fees and taxes for new vehicles –consumer reviews and ratings, and vehicle sales information.

“The Ford F-150 has been a Best Buy award winner seven years in a row, staying in this top spot because it continues to advance the full-size truck segment,” said KBB.com editors.

And despite a couple of slow sales months, due mostly to the slowdown in production of the 2020 F-150, the F-150 is still poised to hold onto its best-selling truck title, which it’s held for 44 straight years.

2021 F-150 Has Lots Of Firsts
There are a lot of new, innovative features on the 2021 F-150. And there are a lot of firsts for this truck, such as the first-ever hybrid powertrain with the new Hybrid PowerBoost engine. We now know the towing ability and the fuel economy for this engine, and it’s impressive.

All-new for 2021, F-150 has best-in-class available towing and available payload capacity. It offers the only full hybrid powertrain available in a pickup, with 430 horsepower and the ability to function as a mobile generator with Pro Power Onboard with up to 7.2 kilowatts of electrical output available.

The all-new F-150 features smart new innovations aimed at making truck customers more productive, including the available Pro Power Onboard, an available Interior Work Surface and an available Tailgate Work Surface. Every F-150 features standard Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking4 and available advanced driver-assist technology, including an available Active Drive Assist Prep Kit for hands-free highway driving that’s expected to arrive next fall.

Standard over-the-air updates will help keep F-150 at the forefront of technology, while the truck’s all-new interior is designed to be comfortable, useful and connected while on the go.

The grumblings I often hear from those who don’t like change are that these new features only present more problems which can go wrong or become costly to fix. I can’t speak to that, but I do understand the mentality of those who may want to wait one year to let some of these potential problems show up and let Ford address them in the 2022 model year.

Nevertheless, the demand is high for the 2021 F-150. Ford will sell a lot of these. They’ve average around 900,000 units over the last couple of years and I’m sure they will get close to that number or exceed that in 2022.

Jimmy Dinsmore has been an automotive journalist for more than a decade and been a writer since the high school. His Driver’s Side column features new car reviews and runs in several newspapers throughout the country. He is also co-author of the book “Mustang by Design” and “Ford Trucks: A Unique Look at the Technical History of America’s Most Popular Truck”. Also, Jimmy works in the social media marketing world for a Canadian automotive training aid manufacturing company. Follow Jimmy on Facebook, Twitter, at his special Ford F-150 coverage on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can read the most of Jimmy's stories by searching Torque News Ford for daily Ford vehicle report.