I find it interesting to think about this as a branding decision. Ford has never established a strong brand identity for trucks. Sure, the F150 has a strong identity. But it's just one model within the F-series...necessary because it's not the E-series or a car. Even with this new strategy, the same branding drag will continue. A car, the Mustang, will still be the brand icon because it has a consistent profile not a jumble of ride heights and cab sizes and bed lengths.

I think Fiat Chrysler made a good branding move by spinning off trucks and vans into the Ram Truck badge. It's a good branding move because the brands reflect a natural market segmentation. Most people are out "shopping for either a sedan or a pickup truck" at the point they walk into a show room with their checkbook. Ram and Chrysler brands are backed by distinct marketing persona sets. On the other hand, after this move the Ford brand will still be lumping those separate personas into a single set.