Good Day One and All!! Welcome to another great installment provided by Cartell.tv. In this segment we’re going to tease your eyes with some of the latest, and greatest cars making a splash across the pond at the Detroit Auto Show. (We have a bunch of pics in this one folks.)
Let’s not waste any time and get right into it. First up we have a truck that even us Kiwis could appreciate having in our front yard. The Ford ATLAS concept truck. With GM providing the United States with their latest entry into the open truck market (The 2013 Sierra) Ford needed to awaken the senses of the masses by simply providing a truck that would surpass everything on the road today. (It’s just to bad that, we can enjoy some of that good fortune over here.) Anyway the ATLAS was created to give the already Die Hard Ford Fans a look at a potential future F150. With it’s broad fascia, widened wheel flares, and ultimately tall stance, the ATLAS is poised to make you want this truck.
As far as we know, the Ford ATLAS has been set up for the either the everyday man, or more so, the Blue Collar Worker. With already built in features such as an illuminated truck bed, automatic fold out running boards, (Take make it easier to get in & out) built in ramps for loading & off loading ATV’s and such, and let’s not forget Ford’s well known integrated tailgate step up ladder. In the ATLAS, Ford once again thought of the working man, and added another slick feature in the tail gate. For those guys who work with ladders, or for those people who need to carry something long in the back of their truck, Ford pulled off something really useful. The rear tail gate has a hidden rack that with a push if a button, it extends upward so that you can rest you 26′ Extension Ladder on the recessed, and rubberized portion of the roof of the cab. That is simply Bad Ass.
On the more sensible side of things the Ford ATLAS Concept was also infused with some fuel saving features as well. The designers and engineers who toiled over this concept new that fuel consumption would be a very big deal, so in order to give this truck an even bigger edge of the competition, they added louvers to various spots on the truck. You would never see it but, there are automatic shutters that move in the grille, and in the wheels. The Grille Shutters/Louvers activate when the truck is cruising at high speeds for aerodynamics, and when outdoor temperatures are at their highest. The next set of Louvers are found within the wheels themselves. This is going way beyond the call of duty when it comes down to saving money on fuel. The stop & go of the wheels potentially store power, that enable the shutters in the wheels to open, and close so as to also assist in aerodynamics during high speed driving situations. One last piece of fuel saving technology is the automatic lowering air damn that allows under body air flow to “Flow” more efficiently.
As it stands now the interior is something out of a futuristic science fiction movie, but toned down to the point where it makes sense. Room for 5 is readily available, and it has been attained swimmingly. Leather wrapped seats, are complimented by Brushed Aluminum trim that can be found everywhere. With that said, the term, “Too much is never enough” comes into mind. Everything on the inside simply works in harmony. The trim, the LED gauges, the vast amount of interior space, and a presence that demands the title of “The Most Ultimate Truck Ever” hands down.
Now being that this is concept truck, there is no pricing available. Nor is there an absolute time, or fact that this WILL be the next F150. For all that we that know, this could very well be the next F300 Series. Who knows? But for what it’s worth, this truck is set up to keep Ford leading the way in the truck market. Dodge still has the Ram, and GM has it’s new Sierra, but neither of the two look as awesome as the ATLAS. I just hope that Ford moves forward with the ATLAS Concept so that the world can benefit from having a truck that is this freaking awesome.