If you remember, a few months ago I was invited over to Ford in Michigan to check out all of their upcoming 09 vehicles. The one vehicle we did not test was the new F150 pickup truck. Yesterday I arrived at Ford to take a look.

I arrived at Detroit Airport, and we headed over to the Rouge plant for a little presentation. After the presentation, we ate some lunch, and then were given a tour of the plant. This was the first time I had ever had the opportunity to take a look at how the production for the F150 was done. We literally saw each step, and it was something that just blew my mind. The facility alone is about 1.5 million sq/ft, it was monstrous!? It’s really hard to imagine how a car manufacturer can make a vehicle profitable. Here’s a few pictures for your enjoyment:

After checkout the plant, we headed over to another plant and we were able to see some of the training facilities and going over the new features on the new F150.

Then it was time for some driving!? We took the 2008 F150 and drove it about 40 miles to a Ford dealership, where we got into 2009 F150’s for comparison sake. The difference between the two F150’s is night and day, and the 09 is a huge improvement. There are some really cool technology improvements from aerodynamics to interior that really made some drastic differences.

I was able to drive the new F150 for about 80 miles before we got to our hotel in Romeo, MI (The Royal Park Hotel). It really gave me the opportunity to get a true feeling of the car, and it honestly makes me want one…and I’m not even a truck guy.

We got back to the hotel, which I made is ridiculously nice!? Check out a couple pics of my room:

Once I put my bags in my room, I headed back down for some cocktails, and a little bit of demo’ing of Ford’s Work Solutions. This is a really neat edition for the F150 meant for working professionals, and in reality more specifically to contractors and construction workers. There are a variety of nifty features worth mentioning:

• Cable lock system - Ford listened to their customers and found that tool theft was a pretty common occurrence. The cable lock system allows owners to wire lock their tools (or anything else like a dirt bike) in the bed of the truck.
• The coolest part is the new computer system option up front. The system allows you do anything from get on the internet, to remote desktop, to printing an invoice for a customer on the spot. You can read more here.
• Crew Chief - This is a system that uses RFID tags. You would simply stick an RFID tag on your tools, and then program them into your car. As long as the tool is in the bed, it will show up on the system up front. This way you will always know you have everything you need. You can even setup specific jobs, for example drywall. You can setup all of the tools you’ll need for drywall, and then it will ensure that all your tools are in the truck when you start your job…as well as leave.

After a couple of drinks, it was time for some more food. We had a great dinner, and at the end Ford raffled away a new Dewalt saw, which I happened to win!

That concludes a great first day, and tomorrow sounds like it may even be better. We’ll be spending the day at the Michigan proving grounds driving the F150 on the track and really putting the truck to the test. I’m really looking forward to it.