Towing Mirrors and 6 ½ foot bed … possible?

[F-150 Prius]

Title says it all – the configuration doesn't show tow mirrors or 6 ½ foot bed. Perhaps someone here is in Ford and can see inside the system to know what's possible.

The tow mirrors could be done from parts (I'm not keen to try, but surely 100% compatible with the 2022 F-150 ICE vehicles, if an expensive way to go) but the 6 ½ bed is a lot more useful to me than the normal 5 ½ foot bed.

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[Maquis]

I’d prefer a 6-1/2’ bed, but that’s an entirely different chassis. I don’t see it happening soon.

 

[metroshot]

Maybe wait for the F250 HD or SD Lightning ??

 

[F-150 Prius]

I’d prefer a 6-1/2’ bed, but that’s an entirely different chassis. I don’t see it happening soon.

Presumably the rear of the Lightning chassis is very different from the F-150 ICE, but surely it's "child's play" for Ford to make the longer bed.
I'm guessing it's a matter of "we've sold 'em all and we're already onto the TE1 platform" but maybe they already designed the 6½' before it became apparent that they could sell a "one size fits all."

 

[Easycamper]

Everything I’ve read so far explains that they picked SuperCrew and 5.5 foot bed because that’s the most popular F-150 configuration. I would love the 6.5 foot option too, but there’s probably more to it than you’d imagine. The entire Lightning chassis is unique to the Lightning.

 

[Fordskeptic]

Have the dealer add the tow mirrors as a dealer installed option and lower the tail gate for longer loads. I don't see a 6.5' bed in the near future, but I have no insider info. You will get a bit more drag from the mirrors, but that's physics.

 

[F-150 Prius]

Everything I’ve read so far explains that they picked SuperCrew and 5.5 foot bed because that’s the most popular F-150 configuration. I would love the 6.5 foot option too, but there’s probably more to it than you’d imagine. The entire Lightning chassis is unique to the Lightning.

The normal 5 ½ bed is certainly 90% of F-150s but Ford keeps on making the 6 ½ and the 8 foot bed for some reason … I guess they sell "only" a few hundred thousand of 'em and it's not expensive and they'd probably lose fleet contracts if they didn't have vanilla white work trucks with hose-out rubber floors in the cabins. I'm still a tiny bit optimistic that was the plan for the "Pro" before it just fell off the menu as "sold out."
As for the Lightning chassis itself, it looks to be the same as the ICE F-150 frame till just in front of the rear suspension. I imagine it's a 1000 welds of different brackets from bumper to bumper, but the expensive hydro-forming would not be different. The idea of the first Lightning was to make it parts compatible. I imagine there's as little as possible that's different from the ICE to the Lightning including the cabin. There are differences (like the floor in the back of the cabin) but all that amounts to minor brackets and stampings.
Presumably the TE1 will be very similar to the Rivian and Ultium with a skateboard that can be any length or width and a top or body that drops on. Tesla has taken this to the point that the skateboard will carry the cabin of the Model Y (including the seats) but I don't see Ford or GM taking on that level of production line renovation.

 

[broncoaz]

I buy (Chevy) crew cab 6.5’ bed trucks for the construction company I work for. We have a lot of guys with double cab 6.5’ beds with tool storage systems they like getting new trucks as the old ones cycle out. They need the additional space over the 5.5’ beds as well.

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