Tough and light seem to be words that don’t go together. The 2015 Ford F-150 seems to be on its way to uniting them. It’s body and bed are going to be military-grade, weight-saving aluminum. Don’t think it will be any less rugged.
Even the actual headlights themselves will be “Built Ford Tough” – and exclusive among light-duty pick-ups. Light-emitting diode (LED) technology is currently found in tablet computers, TVs, smartphones and luxury sedans, but not in the front ends of trucks, except those of the 2015 F-150.
Part of what will make the new illumination units so robust is their inherent simplicity. Traditional halogen bulbs only last about 40,000 miles because their thin filaments are vulnerable to extreme temperatures as well as vibrations from rough roads, which trucks are likely to encounter. The new F-150’s headlamps will use semiconductor chips. As a result, they’ll be “more durable and therefore longer-lasting.” More than five times longer-lasting than their old-tech predecessors, in fact. The LEDs – only one per lamp, thanks to highly effective and efficient lens construction – will also consume 63 percent less energy.
What will also make these pieces so hardy is their rhino-like skin. Ford lighting expert John Teodecki said, “This lens just won’t break. We fire stones at it, expose it to extreme sun, soak it in saltwater, shoot rocks, rock salt and ice – this thing is very tough to crack.”
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
