RHD Ford F-150 Officially On Sale In Australia – Malaysia Recond Sale In Future Possible?

Order book for the OFFICIAL Right-Hand Drive (RHD) version of the mighty 2023 Ford F-150 pick-up truck has finally opened in Australia this week. This is perhaps good news not just for Aussie truck fans, but perhaps for fans both in Thailand and right here in Malaysia too – more on this in a bit…

Reportedly due to hit showrooms Down Under starting July this year, four variants of the F-150 will be converted from left-hand drive (LHD) to RHD by Melbourne- and Thailand-based engineering firm RMA Group, according to Ford Australia. Yes, these will be ‘conversions’, but they’re officially approved by Ford.

Yes, your eyes aren't deceiving you. This really is a Right-Hand Drive (RHD) Ford F-150 that's going on sale in Australia this year!

All four variants will harness the same 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo petrol powerplant rated at 400 HP and 678 NM. They will all be paired with 10-speed automatic transmissions plus a full-blown four-wheel-drive (4x4) suite as well. All will also come exclusively in dual-cab (crew cab) body forms, as well as the choice between short- (SWB) and long-wheelbase (LWB).

In SWB form, the truck boasts a 3,683 MM wheelbase and a 1,676 MM flatbed. The LWB’s wheelbase stretches longer at 3,987 MM and features a longer 1,981 MM flatbed. Body styles aside, two key grades will be offered, those being the XLT (SWB and LWB) and a higher-specced Lariat (SWB and LWB) trimlines – no racy ‘Raptor’ trimline, sadly…

Standard features in the XLT include halogen headlights, 20-inch alloy wheels, chrome front and rear bumpers, a tailgate with flexible step and work surface, as well as a spray-in bedliner. On board, it gets Ford's Sync 4 8.0-inch infotainment system with wired and wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, and navigation. Next to that are an 8.0-inch digital meter panel, power-adjustable front seats, and dual-zone climate control.

Move up to the Lariat and the list gets boosted with the addition of a chrome exterior trim package, LED lighting front and aft, dual sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, a larger 12-inch infotainment and meter displays, as well as a premium 18-speaker Bang and Olufsen audio system.

In regards to safety, the XLT gets six airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), a rear-view camera, rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring (with cross-traffic alert and trailer tow coverage), lane-keeping assistance, and a conventional cruise control.

The Lariat ups the ante with the addition of front parking sensors, 360-degree camera, lane-centering, speed sign recognition, evasive steering assist, AEB junction assist, as well as radar cruise control with stop-go function.

As for price, the figures range between AUS$106,950 (approx. RM323,280) for the base F-150 XLT SWB, and AUS$140,945 (approx. RM426,038) for the range-topping F-150 Lariat LWB.

Typical of any full-sized American truck, the Ford F-150 has a maximum towing capacity of 4,500 KG!

Prior to this, Ford didn’t officially offer a RHD version of its highly sought after full-sized pick-up truck anywhere – not even in Australia or the UK. For Malaysians and certain RHD markets in the region, the closest we got to this was the Sutton CS3500 Monster Truck introduced, assembled (CKD), and sold in Malaysia by Hamawangsa back in 2019.

2019 Sutton CS3500 Monster Truck assembled (CKD) and sold locally by Hamawangsa. Essentially, this is a heavily 're-engineered' RHD Ford F-150 Raptor. (Image source: TopGear.com.my)

Said rebadged truck was in fact heavily re-engineered by specialist UK tuning and engineering firm Clive Sutton – a firm renowned for RHD conversions of sought-after speciality American cars. Though it was rebuilt to drive on the correct side, it didn’t officially bore the Blue Oval badge, and cost a bomb – from RM780,888 when launched by Hamawangsa.

The arrival of the RHD F-150 in Australia means that we *MIGHT* see at least a handful of which make their way to our shores in the coming years through parallel (grey) importers and sold as recond cars. In recent years, similar efforts were done by the same parties to import and sell recond RHD speciality models like the Ford Mustang sportscar.

Besides Malaysia, we’re also certain that the Australian-spec RHD Ford F-150 will also see similar treatment in other RHD markets in the region, key amongst which being the kingdom north of our border. Given that Thailand is the pick-up truck capital of the world, this is almost a certainty.

Will you be excited should this RHD iteration of the Ford F-150 make landfall in Malaysia, albeit unofficially via recond importers? Hit the comments below with your thoughts, then…