Ford’s F-150 ute rolls into Australia – and it’s sure to put inner-city cyclists and environmentalists on edge

The world’s best-selling truck has landed on the Australian coast, no doubt instilling fear and horror among environmentalists and inner-city cyclists.

A shipment of 98 Ford F-150 cars arrived in Melbourne early Saturday morning after traveling 15,000 km from Baltimore in the US.

The colossal vehicles, weighing more than two tonnes and guzzling 22.8 liters of petrol per 100 km, will now go to a factory in Mickleham in northern Melbourne, where they will be transformed from left to right before being sent to dealers in all over the country.

The behemoth trucks now head to a factory in Mickleham in Melbourne’s north where they are transformed from left to right before being sent to dealers across the country.

But the arrival of the F-150 in Australia is likely to involve cycling advocacy groups such as Bicycle Network (stock image)

Ford Australia president and CEO Andrew Birkic said the ute is “perfect for those looking to explore our amazing country in luxury and comfort.”

“With its 4.5-tonne towing capacity, the F-150 allows Aussies to go anywhere, with almost anything, at any time,” he added.

But the 8-foot-wide vehicles — much larger than the country’s most popular ute, the Toyota Hilux, which is 6 feet wide — are likely to spark ire from cycling campaigners.

On Tuesday, advocacy group and charity Bicycle Network shared a report from the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety analyzing the number of fatalities on US roads between 2018 and 2021.

It found that there were higher driver and passenger death rates with pickup trucks and SUVs than with other cars.

“The belief that people are better protected in bigger, heavier and more powerful cars has turned out to be something of a myth,” Bicyle Network wrote.

“But the fear that these powerful machines pose a serious threat to other road users is proving all too true.”

Ford’s F-150 twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 petrol engines are also bound to provoke angry reactions from environmental groups.

The ‘Ute Beauty!’ The Climate Council’s report, published in April this year, found that Australia’s current two top-selling cars, the Toyota HiLux and the Ford Ranger, are among the most expensive to run and have low CO2 emissions.

And an Australian Institute report, titled ‘In Reverse’ and published in March, found that Australia’s obsession with cars and SUVs caused emissions to soar and cost people more fuel.

“Australians are buying big dumb cars and that means we’re spending a lot more on petrol than we should be,” the authors wrote.

“The fact that these cars stay on the road for a long time makes it more difficult to meet our emission reduction targets.”

The F-150 – part of Ford’s F-series – is the undisputed market leader in global car sales

Despite this, cars remain the first choice for car buyers in Aussie, with more than one in five of every new vehicle sold in the country last year, a traditional workhorse.

In 2022, Australians bought 228,671 compared to just 115,196 hybrid and electric vehicles.

US pickups have taken the Australian market by storm, with RAM currently the largest supplier in Australia.

In the past month alone, more than 1,200 such pick-ups have rolled off the production line and hit Australian roads.

Chevrolet also sees sales of the Silverado 1500 pickup Down Under increase.

Ford dealers stopped by Motivation say the F-150 is sold out for six to 12 months – depending on the variant – before customers have had a chance to try one.