Moving between sandbox work sites to offices located in forts was made a little easier after Ford and Fisher-Price revealed the Power Wheels F-150 on June 24.
The ride-on children's toy has been slated for a release sometime in September 2014 and was expected to carry a price tag of $349.99.
Roughly nine months before the 2014 Ford F-150 was shown in Detroit at the North American International Auto, Ford engineers reportedly shared the vehicle's blueprints with Fisher-Price so the toymaker could ensure the authenticity of the Power Wheels' design. Fisher-Price required 18 months to develop the Power Wheels F-150 ahead of its September 2014 release data.
The Power Wheels F-150 was expected by some analysts to be Ford's best-selling merchandise, surpassing the $2 billion in retail sales the company generates through existing licensing deals for items including model cars, Mustang cologne and power tools.
The Power Wheels F-150's rechargeable battery was said by Ford to power 500 miles of travel over the life of its cells. The current Power Wheels model reportedly reaches a top speed of 5 mph over varying terrain, though there has been no specifics released on the performance of the Power Wheels F-150.
Parents worried that the speed of the Power Wheels F-150, branded "A New Kind of Tough," may lead to their children getting hurt while "mudding" through rough terrain can tune the toy's maximum speed to 2.5 mph, the same speed at which the Power Wheels moves when driving in reverse.
The top-free vehicle, a two seater, should bear the weight of two children that combine to total 130 pounds.
In heavier news, Ford announced the recall of thousands more of its Ford F-150 pickup trucks before unveiling the Power Wheels toy on the same day. The Electronic Power Assist Steering (EPAS) issue that prompted a June 10 recall of the pickup trucks was discovered to be more widespread than originally thought.
The problem with the pickup trucks' EPAS system stemmed from a the misalignment of motor-position sensors, which could result in the loss of power steering while driving the automobiles.
As of June 24, no accidents have been blamed on EPAS issue. The majority of the trucks involved in the recall were either at dealerships or on their way to them, with only about 260 of the vehicles already in the possession of consumers and on the road.
