Detroit Auto Show: Next year's cars and SUVs

With the redesigned Chevrolet Silverado and Toyota Tundra hitting the market last year, the American pickup market has become a more serious battleground even as sales shrink in the face of high gas prices and a slowing economy.

That makes a redesign of the F-150 particularly critical for a still-struggling Ford Motor Co. So much so that Ford executives have said development of this new version was delayed several months to make sure it was the best it could be.

Underneath a profile that's similar to the current F-150, the truck's underlying engineering has been thoroughly reworked, Ford says.

This time Ford is also adding a new trim level, called Platinum, shown here. It adds a fancier chrome grill and bigger wheels.

There is no longer a V6 engine option, however. All available engines will now be V8's.