Ford loves to make things interesting with its trucks.
Ford’s latest Ford F-150 has arrived for the 2021 model-year. A new variant, the Rattler, will be added to its lineup. Jim Farley, Ford CEO, took to Twitter to reveal the nameplate of the new truck and little else. Ford will reveal the pickup tomorrow, so we won’t need to wait too long.
Ford filed last summer a trademark for the Rattler-name, but the filing did not provide any concrete information about Ford’s use of the name. We thought it might be a future Maverick version, but we were wrong. Farley also added the truck, snake and mountain emojis in his tweet. However, our guesses are as good as yours about their meaning. Farley also stated that the truck would be “A rattler that you’ll be excited about seeing on the trail.”
Ford already offers the F-150 with a range of trims, including an off-road Raptor or the terrifying Tremor. The Tremor is below the Raptor in F-150’s lineup. It will be interesting to see how the Rattler ranks in this hierarchy. Ford could offer upgrades to the pickup’s standard features, such as suspension parts or extra off-road protection. Ford could go a simpler route and offer something more subtle, like the FX4 trim.
This isn’t Ford’s first venture into snake-named products. Ford had an aerospace department that made components for the sidewinder mussel. Ford was the main manufacturer of the missile’s guidance and control sections. Ford was awarded the contract by the US Navy in 1951.
Although the new Rattler will not be used by the US Navy in any practical capacity, it is an intriguing connection for the Blue Oval as the company expands its product range. Tomorrow Ford will unveil the F-150 Rattler. We’ll provide all details. Although a new truck is always exciting, we aren’t sure it will be as powerful as the Raptor.