The pickup market has been heating up for well over a decade as more consumers have turned to trucks for their primary vehicle. Trucks meet a variety of needs and wants: power, towing, interior space and cargo space. American automakers have met the desires of consumers with ever more capable, functional and comfortable trucks. Compare the build quality, ride quality, payload and tow capacity, features and options of any late model truck to the offerings of just 10 years ago and you'll see that the manufacturers have met the challenge of building better, more capable trucks.

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As the pickup truck market has grown, so has the heavy-duty pickup market. Ford Motor Company sold off its heavy truck division in 1997 to Freightliner. In 1999, Ford introduced the all-new line of Super Duty trucks and began producing heavy duty pickups as a separate product line from the F-150. This bold departure gave Ford the ability to have two lines of pickups: the F-150 to meet the needs of the consumer and light duty market, and the Super Duty to meet the needs of the commercial buyers and consumers who demanded more capability in a truck.

As a result Ford dominated the heavy-duty pickup market. Dodge and GMC both responded to this by increasing the capabilities of their heavy-duty pickups. Competition is good for the consumer and Ford has upped the ante with the introduction of the new 2005 Super Duty.

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"Our goal with the 2005 Super Duty redesign was to improve on the already proven leader in heavy-duty pick-ups.", said Phil O'Connor, Super Duty marketing manager, "Every area important to a heavy-duty pick-up customer was significantly improved...capability with best-in-class towing and payload, towing control with the new TowCommand System featuring the first in industry factory installed integrated trailer brake controller, styling with a freshened exterior and interior, and features with new electronic automatic temperature control, redundant steering wheel controls, and upfitter switches."

No longer will you find just the concrete crew, construction worker, hauler and farmer behind the wheel of heavy-duty pickups. The Super Duty has crossed over in many ways. 10% of the buyers are women, and the primary buyer is a dual use customer. "They use their Super Duty on the job during the day, hauling loads and towing equipment.", said Phil, "In the evenings and on the weekends, they use the Super Duty to tow their boat, RV, or horse trailer, and for carrying their family."