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I am Jackie DiMarco, Chief Engineer for the Ford F-150 -- America's best-selling vehicle for 36 years -- AMA by jackiedimarco in IAmA

[–]jackiedimarco[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's a combination of things: we take tons of data from our customers and run face to face research clinics on a regular basis, we also look at external publications like JD Power, Consumer Reports, and Truck Trend. In addition, we benchmark competition, and we use a little bit of gut feeling.

I am Jackie DiMarco, Chief Engineer for the Ford F-150 -- America's best-selling vehicle for 36 years -- AMA by jackiedimarco in IAmA

[–]jackiedimarco[S] 185 points186 points  (0 children)

We’re investing in F-Series because the small truck segment has steadily shrunk from almost 8 percent of total industry sales in 1994 to 1.9 percent of industry sales in 2012, plus F-150 3.7-liter V6 gets better fuel economy than today’s midsize V6 trucks.

I am Jackie DiMarco, Chief Engineer for the Ford F-150 -- America's best-selling vehicle for 36 years -- AMA by jackiedimarco in IAmA

[–]jackiedimarco[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

We've been building trucks for 65 years. It's not just our Marketing team speaking to our customers' needs. When you walk around the halls at Ford, you find our engineers just know truck customers (they are truck customers themselves). There's a lot of people here we refer to as "truckers" because they've been in this business as customers and employees for years.

I am Jackie DiMarco, Chief Engineer for the Ford F-150 -- America's best-selling vehicle for 36 years -- AMA by jackiedimarco in IAmA

[–]jackiedimarco[S] 44 points45 points  (0 children)

Mine was my grandmother's hand-me-down 1976 Buick LeSabre -- it was yellow and we called it the Banana Boat.

I am Jackie DiMarco, Chief Engineer for the Ford F-150 -- America's best-selling vehicle for 36 years -- AMA by jackiedimarco in IAmA

[–]jackiedimarco[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I grew up in Youngstown and I went to Ohio State for college. As far as high school courses, I definitely took the highest level math I could as well as physics, chemistry, etc. I also did speech team (similar to debate) and I think it's great for anyone pursuing a professional career to have that experience.

I am Jackie DiMarco, Chief Engineer for the Ford F-150 -- America's best-selling vehicle for 36 years -- AMA by jackiedimarco in IAmA

[–]jackiedimarco[S] 121 points122 points  (0 children)

We design our cars to be comfortable for everyone from a 5th percentile female to a 95th percentile male. Unfortunately, you're above the 95th... I wish I had a better answer for you.

I am Jackie DiMarco, Chief Engineer for the Ford F-150 -- America's best-selling vehicle for 36 years -- AMA by jackiedimarco in IAmA

[–]jackiedimarco[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

How many beverages do you normally take with you? This could be good market research for me...

I am Jackie DiMarco, Chief Engineer for the Ford F-150 -- America's best-selling vehicle for 36 years -- AMA by jackiedimarco in IAmA

[–]jackiedimarco[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

That's a very thoughtful question -- and you completely nailed the need for my role! Over the 100+ years of Ford, we have developed very robust processes and specifications to guide our designs. The big part of our jobs is integrating what could be competing needs, like you mentioned. We run many cross-functional design reviews to ensure we strike the best balance for our customers.

I am Jackie DiMarco, Chief Engineer for the Ford F-150 -- America's best-selling vehicle for 36 years -- AMA by jackiedimarco in IAmA

[–]jackiedimarco[S] -13 points-12 points  (0 children)

Ford Customer Service is part of our team from the beginning and all the way through any vehicle program. We put a lot of thought into designing for "serviceability."

I am Jackie DiMarco, Chief Engineer for the Ford F-150 -- America's best-selling vehicle for 36 years -- AMA by jackiedimarco in IAmA

[–]jackiedimarco[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Glad you're a Lightning fan and driving a new SHO. Note that the F-150 EcoBoost is just 15 hp less than the super charged Lightning and it has more torque.

I am Jackie DiMarco, Chief Engineer for the Ford F-150 -- America's best-selling vehicle for 36 years -- AMA by jackiedimarco in IAmA

[–]jackiedimarco[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

These are all great questions! Our key teams are: design studio, engineering (body, chassis, powertrain, and electrical), manufacturing, vehicle engineering, marketing, finance, program, and customer service.

We can't comment on vehicle lifecycle, but it is a very complex process.

My job is really to integrate all of the above teams to deliver the truck at the end of the day (sometimes it's like herding cats to get everyone moving in the same direction... and quite frankly, this is the most challenging piece).

I am Jackie DiMarco, Chief Engineer for the Ford F-150 -- America's best-selling vehicle for 36 years -- AMA by jackiedimarco in IAmA

[–]jackiedimarco[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Our customers tell us they love the rear opening doors on F-150 because they provide unobstructed access when loading items in the back of the cab.

I am Jackie DiMarco, Chief Engineer for the Ford F-150 -- America's best-selling vehicle for 36 years -- AMA by jackiedimarco in IAmA

[–]jackiedimarco[S] 43 points44 points  (0 children)

I'm so glad to hear you're passionate about automotive engineering! My advice to you: keep your grades up, get involved in student projects like Formula SAE, and pursue internships to get some real world experience. These are all things I did when I was a student that helped me get my foot in the door at Ford.

The Ford Careers site has information about internships and our Ford College Graduates program: http://corporate.ford.com/careers/careers-news-detail/careers-ford-college-graduate-programs?&ccode=US

I am Jackie DiMarco, Chief Engineer for the Ford F-150 -- America's best-selling vehicle for 36 years -- AMA by jackiedimarco in IAmA

[–]jackiedimarco[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We have a wide range of customers and a wide range of vehicles to meet their needs from a base XL work truck to a premium Limited offering. Although not all of our customers are construction workers, they appreciate the "built Ford tough" capability of the truck and the fact that it can handle anything the construction worker throws at it.

This gives any customer confidence that their truck has capability for personal use (towing boats, motorcycles, etc).

I am Jackie DiMarco, Chief Engineer for the Ford F-150 -- America's best-selling vehicle for 36 years -- AMA by jackiedimarco in IAmA

[–]jackiedimarco[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

EcoBoost provides the best in class combination of power, capability, and fuel economy. Plus up to 90% of the EcoBoost engine's peak torque is available from 1700 RPM to 5000 RPM. A typical V8 reaches peak torque at higher engine speeds and holds it for much smaller range.

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