Starting this fall, all Ford Super Duty trucks will come with aluminum on the outside. Now comes news that, for the first time, every trim line of the next-generation workhorse – including King Ranch and Platinum – will be available with vinyl flooring on the inside.
Ford knows a lot of people use its heavy-duty trucks for both work and pleasure. According to Doug Scott, Ford truck group marketing manager, “Super Duty customers want a truck that can rival luxury cars in comfort and technology without having to worry about it getting dirty.” Vinyl flooring is a solution that will allow drivers to focus on finding parking at a restaurant instead of worrying about their interior being ruined by doing what bought them their fancy truck in the first place.
Basic vinyl flooring will be standard on XL Super Dutys and optional on XLT and Lariat models. King Ranch and Platinum Super Dutys getter thicker, more durable premium vinyl with special designs and clips designed to hold carpeted or all-weather floor mats. No matter the trim line, the vinyl flooring will be easier to wash off than before.
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.
