Iconic ute gets converted

Ford has started customer deliveries of its iconic F-150 across the Tasman. 

To mark the milestone, select owners got to tour the RMA Australia facility in Mickleham near Melbourne where the trucks are remanufactured into right-hand drive.

Twenty F-150s can be converted each day using an assembly line with 65 individual stations. The process takes around 22 working hours over three days to complete each vehicle.

Originally manufactured in Detroit, the utes undergo an uncompromising and detailed process at the facility. They require about 500 new parts and recalibration of key systems to suit Australian needs, such as steering, climate control, lighting, instrument panel and software.

Located in the same precinct as Ford Australia’s new-parts distribution centre, the 21,000-square-metre facility sees engineers from Ford and RMAA collaborate to ensure the trucks are remanufactured to exacting “built Ford tough” standards.

The F-150 XLT and Lariat, in short-wheelbase and long-wheelbase variants, are now available for Australian – but not Kiwi – customers.