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Ford offering $10,000 in incentives for new F-150

Not two months ago, Ford posted lower-than-expected first quarter earnings partly because of production issues with the new F-150, but raised the year's profit outlook thinking the production issues were over. A month later we got word of more manufacturing problems due to a shortage of frames, leaving the company unable to fulfill demand. The problems not only ate into Ford's bottom line, but also its market share, since the F-Series truck has been the best-selling vehicle for the past 33 years. Inventory still isn't where Ford wants it, and won't be until the end of September. The pipeline is stocked enough, however, that Bloomberg reports The Blue Oval is putting up to $10,029 on the hood in some parts of the country, and only on certain trims, as a way to stay competitive with rival truck makers. Ford lost 100,000 units of production during the changeover of the two plants that build it. The frame shortage compounds that, which has led to F-150 sales that are down 2.4 percent through the first half of the year. F-150 market share in June 2014 was 33 percent, this June it was 28 percent. Meanwhile, sales over at General Motors and Ram are climbing - Chevrolet Silverado sales were up 18 percent year-on-year in June. Ford said its incentive spending on the F-150 is down overall this year, and its average transaction price of $44,100 remains the highest in the segment. Still, it will look forward to solid footing to take on rivals. Related Video:

Now you can 3D print your favorite new Ford

Ford is letting people build their own cars, offering digital files so people can print 3D versions of their favorite models. This is way cooler than any old Matchbox or Hot Wheels toy. Ford this week started offering printable files for the F-150 Raptor, Shelby GT350R, Focus ST and Fiesta ST. Folks can order the 3D models in 1:32 scale in plastic (that'd make the mighty large pickup truck about eight inches long) but the digital files let users tweak the scale to the their liking. Once people have the digital files, they can print out their own miniature versions of the cars, made out of soft plastics, sandstone, and even some metals. Ford says it expects demand for such files to grow as sales numbers for desktop 3D printers surges to 1 million units in 2018. That's up from about 44,000 last year. Ford already offers digital files for its company logo, the 1.0-liter engine block, and two older Mustang models. But these new models take this to a totally different scale. Check out Ford's press release below. PRINT YOUR FAVORITE FORD VEHICLE AT HOME: FORD FIRST AUTOMAKER TO OPEN ONE-STOP 3D SHOP ONLINE - Consumers can now download digital images and 3D-printable files of Ford vehicles at the first-ever automaker-licensed, one-stop 3D shop online - The Ford 3D Store offers printable files of F-150 Raptor, Shelby GT350R, Focus ST and Fiesta ST; more models will become available later - Online store is powered by TurboSquid.com, the leader in providing automotive digital imaging and 3D-printable files Want to 3D-print a Shelby GT350R at home? Or would you prefer to simply purchase an F-150 Raptor 3D digital image for a presentation? How about both? Ford fans can now download digital images for Ford vehicles at the first-ever, automaker-authorized one-stop online store for 3D-printable vehicle files. The Ford 3D Store, 3d.ford.com, allows customers to use advanced technology to make their own models of Ford vehicles of the size and material they desire, or simply opt to purchase a 3D digital file from a growing library of more than 1,000 Ford images. "3D printing at home is a growing trend, and it makes sense for us to offer our customers a chance to make their own 3D Ford models," said Mark Bentley, licensing manager, Ford Global Brand Licensing.

2022 GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate vs. 2022 Ram 1500 Limited Longhorn vs. Ford F-150 Limited | Luxury truck interior face-off

GMC's new uber-expensive 2022 Sierra Denali Ultimate is the latest luxury truck to nudge toward six-figure territory. With demand for upmarket half-tons surging, GMC's otherwise-solid pickup found itself in desperate need of an interior remodel. For 2022, we're getting just that, and it appears ready to take the fight to the segment's best, including the 2022 Ram 1500 Limited and 2022 Ford F-150 Limited. Here's the new Denali Ultimate interior in all of its full-grain, open-pore glory. 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate vs. 2021 GMC Denali  Not only did the material quality and styling both improve greatly, but the new truck also gets a completely different shifter setup (truck buyers don't like column shifters anymore, apparently). It would actually be difficult to overstate the quality of the upgrade here; the photos really speak for themselves. It's also worth noting that in addition to looking significantly more upscale than the model it's succeeding, the new Denali interior also differs a bit more from its Chevy counterpart than its predecessor did. Here's the new Silverado High Country for reference: While some elements do carry over, the entire dash design is different, down to the positioning of the heating and cooling vents. While the main HVAC controls are essentially carried over, note that they're pretty much the only ones. Even the horizontal bar of switches running along the center stack is positioned differently between the two. Yep. This is a pretty big upgrade over the 2021 cabin, and clearly the range-topper in GM's truck hierarchy. But what of the competition? 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate vs. 2022 Ram Limited Longhorn Southfork This one's tough. We're going to have to spend time in them back to back, but the Ram Limited, with its various anniversary editions and other special permutations, is certainly the interior to beat. To our eyes, the Sierra's more horizontal layout is a bit more modern and perhaps luxurious-looking than the more upright cabin treatment of the Ram, but it's tough to say for certain from photos. Both the Denali Ultimate and Ram Limited carry their upscale feel into their back benches too, which is something we can't say quite as confidently about our next contestant.  2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate vs. 2021 Ford F-150 Limited The Ford F-150 Limited holds its own, but it's probably the least photogenic of the models we've looked at here, at least apart from the outgoing Denali.