If you’ve been waiting to see Ford’s newest Super Duty in person, the wait is almost over. Ford has announced shipments have begun of the 2017 Super Duty pickup to local Ford dealerships. The truck is produced at Ford’s Louisville, Kentucky assembly plant. The current Super Duty holds an impressive 43 percent of the market share in the heavy duty segment, despite having two strong competitors from GM and Ram.

Things aren’t all peachy, though. Bloomberg reports Ford is anticipating a market downturn in 2017 with a projected decrease in overall vehicle sales and subsequent lower profits. However, the new Super Duty should help the automaker pull through.

Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of the Americas, spoke at a conference in New York regarding the issue, saying, “We feel good about where the North American business is. We still believe we can be profitable in a downturn.” Profits come only after the truck is fully rolled out, with the launch phase finished. “There certainly are costs associated with the launch period,” he said. “Once we got past the F-150 launch, we set a record for every quarterly profit.”

The F-150, the Super Duty’s smaller sibling, had a similar birthing process, with adjustments needed for the all-new aluminum body. These days, the F-150 is selling well and raking in profits for the automaker. The new 2017 Super Duty is expected to perform the same.

So, if you’re in the market for a new heavy duty pickup, your local Ford dealer has the newest one on the block.

Continue reading for more information.

Why It Matters

The Super Duty is an extremely important vehicle for Ford. It makes up a large portion of Ford’s F-Series line, which is the automaker’s most profitable line by far. With profits rolling in from the F-Series, and with the rest of Ford’s products pulling their weight, the automaker is able to weather economical storms like 2009 while also investing in halo projects like the Ford GT.

The 2017 Super Duty is the first full-redesign since the pickup’s introduction 18 years ago. Small and mid-level changes have kept the Super Duty fresh, but this complete redesign should help address inherent weaknesses with the outgoing truck. A fully boxed, high-strength steel frame gives the truck a stronger backbone, while is all-aluminum cab shared with the F-150 reduces weight. Most of the interior is also shared with the F-150, adding commonality and reducing development and production costs.

The Super Duty lineup includes the F-250, F-350, and F-450. Prices start around $32,500 for a base F-250 and skyrocket into the $80,000 range for a fully optioned F-450 Platinum. The Super Duty’s max tow rating is class-leading 32,500 pounds, as is the payload capacity at 7,630 pounds. The torque rating from its 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbodiesel is also best in class at 925 pound-feet.

2017 Ford Super Duty

Read our full review on the 2017 Ford Super Duty here.