Motor Trend magazine said Tuesday it has voted Ford Motor Co.'s F-150 model truck as its 2009 Truck of the Year, the third time in its production history that the half-ton pickup has taken top billing. In 2008, Toyota Motor Co.'s Tundra pickup truck took the prize. “No matter what shape the American auto industry emerges from the current crisis, the pickup truck will remain a key part of the American automotive landscape,” said Angus MacKenzie, editor in chief of Motor Trend. The Ford F-150 was one of four trucks eligible for the Truck of the Year title. The other contenders were the Dodge Ram 1500, Suzuki Equator and the Hummer H3T. To be eligible, a vehicle must be totally new or redesigned, and released 12 months before Jan. 1, 2009.
