Ford Looks for Design of Future F-Series from Unlikely Source

Autonomy and electrification are key focus points that the students will have to incorporate into their design, as Ford looks for fresh takes on the future.

American drivers love pickup trucks and it’s not just a phase. Ford’s F-Series pickup trucks are the best-selling automobiles in the country and have been for some time. Chevrolet’s pickups and Ram’s trucks are close behind, while the Toyota Camry and Honda Civic round out the top five. Clearly, the pickup truck segment is one of the most important ones for automakers in the U.S.

While one glance at the sales figures for pickups would lead everyone to believe that Ford’s brightest and most experienced individuals are looking for new ways to make the next generation of F-Series trucks better than ever, that’s far from the case.

According to a report by Wired, Ford has teamed up with 16 students from the College for Creative Studies, which is based in Detroit, and has asked them to create the design for the next generation of trucks. If you ask us, we think that’s a pretty cool gig for a group of students.

“The project we’re giving them is ‘Future Truck’,” said Ford’s exterior design director, Craig Metros, reports the outlet. “We just rolled out a brief, with history of F150, how it’s developed as a product, where it is today, and glimpses of it going into the future.”

With that information out of the way, Wired reports that Metros left the group of students to their own devices. Apparently, Metros is hoping to get a fresh, new take on what future F-Series pickups could look like and hopes that an outside perspective could be the ticket.

“What I’m looking for is some of the rocks that haven’t been uncovered yet,” said Metros.

While the students have a lot of free range, Metros, according to Wired, urged them to consider an autonomous and electrified future, which are two crucial aspects of what lies ahead for the automotive industry. The doodles that the majority of enthusiasts drew during their spare time, unfortunately, won’t cut it here.

At the end of the study, the students will show Ford a “video journey,” showcasing the trial and tribulations they went through, as Wired reports, and eventually present the automaker with one design that encompasses the entire group’s envision of the future. It doesn’t stop there, though, as Wired claims that the students will also create a 3D model of the vehicle.

After looking at how the design of the F-Series has changed since the model’s inception back in 1948, it’s easy to see that electrification and autonomy will play a large role in the exterior look of future trucks. We can’t wait to see what kind of design the students come up with and hope that some aspects of their vehicle make it onto the road in the future.