Ford To Put Thousands of Consumers Behind Wheel of 2011 F-150 EcoBoost Months Before On-Sale Date

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ --

• Thousands of people will have the opportunity to test drive the new 2011 Ford F-150 months before it arrives in dealer showrooms so they can see for themselves how the all-new powertrain lineup performs and how the truck stacks up against the competition

• Built Ford Tough Roundup drive program will travel to seven cities – Dallas, Houston, Detroit, Atlanta, Orlando, Los Angeles and Aberdeen, Maryland – between now and November

• 2011 Ford F-150 features the most extensive powertrain overhaul in the 62-year history of F-Series, with four new engines including a new 3.5-liter EcoBoost^™

• Consumers may sign up for the drive program by visiting www.driveF150.com

Ford will put some 20,000 people behind the wheel of the new 2011 Ford F-150 months before the vehicle arrives in dealer showrooms so they can see for themselves how its all-new powertrain lineup – including the much-anticipated 3.5-liter EcoBoost – performs and how F-150 stacks up against the competition.  

The Ford EcoBoost engine will be available in 90 percent of the 2011 Ford F-150 lineup.  

The Built Ford Tough Roundup, a comprehensive drive program for consumers, fleet customers, and dealership sales staff, will travel to seven cities throughout the country between now and November.  Additionally, Ford will offer drives of its full car and truck lineup to fair-goers at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas next month.

"We know that once people get into the 2011 F-150 and experience the four new engines that they're really going to be sold on them. Some of our dealers had a chance to drive it and one constant feedback was 'Wow!'" said Mark Grueber, F-150 Marketing manager. "Customers tell us they're really impressed with the specs of the new engines – including best-in-class horsepower, torque, trailer tow and fuel economy – but they want to get behind the wheel and compare it with the competition."

Participants who sign up for the drive experience at www.driveF150.com will be able to test drive the new 2011 F-150 and compare the power to competitive vehicles in an acceleration drive, which is set up like a drag race. They'll also be able to see for themselves how the EcoBoost engine performs towing a trailer.  

From this site, consumers can "share" the link on Facebook and write about it on their wall. Additionally, the public registration link can be accessed directly through Facebook at: www.facebook.com/fordtrucks.

"It's a great opportunity for people to experience how the new F-150 compares to the competition in back-to-back drives and do things they would not be able to do easily in a dealership test drive," said Grueber.  

In addition to the drive activities, there will be plenty of information on display with product experts on hand to answer questions, as well as activities the whole family can enjoy including a remote-control F-150 SVT Raptor race course and a bounce house for the kids.  

The first drive event will be held in Dallas at Texas Motor Speedway on Sept. 24-25. Other cities include Houston, Atlanta, Orlando, Los Angeles and Aberdeen, Maryland. For a complete listing of dates and locations, please visit www.driveF150.com.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F), a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 159,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln and Mercury, production of which has been announced by the company to be ending in the fourth quarter of 2010, and, until its sale, Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.

SOURCE Ford Motor Company