Polish up your Ford pride – Ford has been named the “Truck of Texas” by the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) for the seventh consecutive time.

Additionally, F-150 SVT Raptor was named best “Full-size Pickup Truck.” But wait, that’s not all, folks! Ford trucks also took the “Truck Line of Texas,” a distinguished honor recognizing the best-in-class capability and durability of Ford’s lineup, and “Outstanding Feature,” for Ford Work Solutions,™ a suite of productivity technologies developed for the commercial truck owner. In total, Ford won eight of 18 awards, including Lincoln MKX as “Mid-size CUV,” Ford Flex as “Full-size CUV,” Ford F-150 King Ranch^® as “Luxury Pick-up Truck” and Ford Expedition as “Full-size SUV.”

“Winning the ‘Truck of Texas’ is a distinct honor,” said Mark Fields, President, The Americas, Ford Motor Company. “Texans know their trucks, and this award is further proof of why the F-Series remains America’s number-one-selling pickup. We built F-150 SVT Raptor for truck enthusiasts. And we’re gratified it’s gaining recognition for both its unequaled off-road performance and confidence-inspiring on-road demeanor.”

Ford F-150 delivers class-leading towing capability of 11,300 pounds and hauling capacity of 3,030 pounds – a combination no other competitor can match.

With the launch of the all-new 2009 model, the truck improved its fuel economy by an average of 8 percent across the entire lineup, thanks to a wide range of engineering enhancements. The fuel economy gains reach as high as 12 percent versus the prior model year on F-150 models equipped with the high-volume three-valve, 5.4-liter V8 engine. Plus, the F-150’s SFE package – which is available on highest-volume XL and XLT series – delivers fuel economy of 15 mpg city and 21 mpg highway, EPA estimated.

Ford F-150 is also leading market-share . Ford F-Series market-share for September was 40.6 percent, outselling the Chevrolet Silverado by more than 14,000 units and outselling the Silverado and GMC Sierra combined by more than 7,000 units. Overall, F-150 leads by more than 66,000 units versus the industry. Calendar year-to-date F-Series share of 35.6 percent is up almost 5 percentage points year over year. With those numbers in the books, Ford F-Series is three-quarters of the way to becoming America’s best-selling truck for the 33rd consecutive year and America’s best-selling vehicle for the 28th consecutive year.

This summer, Ford introduced the 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor, designed as a purpose-built, high-speed off-road truck ready for adventure. Raptor also is versatile enough to handle the daily commute. To test the capability and durability of Raptor, Ford took a modified preproduction Raptor to the grueling 41st Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 in November 2008. The early-build Raptor not only survived Baja, it earned a podium finish in its class.

Key enablers to the Raptor’s impressive performance are functional design cues and impressive suspension technology. The Raptor is seven inches wider than a base F-150 to make room for the additional suspension components that give Raptor its off-road abilities. The wider stance also gives the truck an aggressive appearance.

Internal triple-bypass shocks by FOX Racing Shox – the first on a production truck – provide position-sensitive damping and extra suspension travel for extreme off-roading and a smooth ride on the road. In addition to the shocks, Raptor has unique cast-aluminum front control arms and SVT-tuned 35-inch BFGoodrich^® All-Terrain TA/KO 315/70-17 tires. These components give Raptor 11.2 inches of front suspension travel and 12.1 inches of rear suspension travel.

The F-150 SVT Raptor comes standard with the proven 5.4-liter SOHC V8 engine that produces up to 320 horsepower and 390 lbs.-ft. of torque. In early 2010 customers will have the option of an even more powerful new 6.2-liter V8 engine.

Customer anticipation has been extremely high, with 3,000 orders already received for the 5.4-liter F-150 SVT Raptor. In fact, initial dealer orders have the Dearborn Truck Plant building Raptors at maximum capacity, reflecting the strong demand for the first-ever factory high-speed off-road truck.

Ford Work Solutions offers an in-dash computer that connects with the home office; Tool Link which keeps track of costly tools and equipment; Cable Lock, which locks up tools in the open truck box; and Crew Chief,™ a telematics system, that gives the fleet manager more control of his/her fleet of vehicles.

To view our entire truck line and find out which truck is the best truck for you, visit our new trucks section on fordvehicles.com.