Is this the Face of the New F-150 and Hybrid?

The Refreshed F-150 Gets a Dose of Super Duty for 2018. Is This It?

We’re expecting a refreshed Ford F-150 in the coming year. It could even be as early as the Detroit Auto Show next week, if rumor sites are to be believed. It’s hard to believe the F-150 is already in need of a refresh, but 2018 will mark the third model year of this generation.

We showed our render genius pictures of the spy shots and asked him to work his magic. Here’s what he came up with, above. While it’s still obvious it’s a F-150, it’s also quite clear the Super Duty’s DNA is there.

The grille is straight from Super Duty, and the current F-150 looks meek in comparison. It makes sense to adopt the aggressive grille to the truck. The headlights themselves won’t change much, and will be similar to what’s on the Raptor (since it won’t get a grille facelift).

While we don’t share the tail with you, we imagine it’ll get more design cues from Super Duty, though they admittedly look quite similar now.

In addition to the 3.5L EcoBoost V6, the 2.7L EcoBoost V6, the 5.0L V8, and the 3.5L V6, we expect at least one or two new engine options.

We’ve seen a diesel F-150 testing recently. It makes sense for both a fuel economy play and a towing play. The 2.7’s fuel economy is solid, but a diesel F-150 would likely hit 30 mpg on the highway. For comparison, Ram’s EcoDiesel is rated at 29 mpg on the highway.

We’re also showing this F-150 attached to a power plug. Ford recently confirmed that they’re working on a hybrid F-150 that’ll hit the streets by 2020. Built alongside the gasoline F-150s in Michigan, the plug-in will improve power and performance, plus it will be able to power a worksite for an extended period.

We’ll know as soon as next week what Ford has up its sleeves. But with 40 years of truck dominance in the United States, we don’t expect the Blue Oval to rest on its laurels or slow down.