More on me: http://www.trucktrend.com/features/consumer/163_1304_jackie_marshall_dimarco_ford_interview/viewall.html

Verification: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151592230410049&set=a.294205560048.184710.22166130048&type=1

Thanks everyone - I had a ton of fun!

UPDATE - A BRIEF RESPONSE TO FEEDBACK FROM FORD Hi Everyone, the Ford team has read your feedback and wanted to make sure we addressed a few things:

  • We scheduled the AMA because we know there are a lot of truck enthusiasts and it’s a well-known vehicle and thought the science/engineering-friendly Reddit community might have questions for Jackie. Are we selling F-150s? Yes. Was this a commercial for F-150s? No. It’s been selling quite well for a long time. We chose Reddit because we sincerely thought the community would find it appealing to talk to a Chief Engineer. Many who asked about Jackie’s career path and background seemed to appreciate her answers.

  • Jackie wrote all of her own answers – if it sounds marketing speak-y, perhaps that’s the result of doing a lot of interviews, but her answers weren’t canned or scripted.

  • Many of you had questions about why we’re not choosing diesel and while there were lots of variations on the question, the answer is simple – based on our research and knowledge of customers’ needs, an F-150 with EcoBoost engine is the best solution for them from a performance, capability, and cost standpoint. This may come across as a marketing push for EcoBoost, and we’re sorry if that’s the case, but that’s our alternative to diesel that we believe delivers on customers’ needs. That doesn’t mean answers to questions about diesel are written by EcoBoost-pushing bots, but rather that this is our answer to why we’re not providing diesel F-150s right now.

  • Some of you suggested that we set up fake accounts to ask questions, but this is not the case. We take authenticity really seriously and would never do that. In order to verify the AMA, we promoted it on our Facebook and Twitter accounts (per Reddit’s recommendation) and it’s more than likely that Ford fans who saw those links joined the Reddit to ask questions.

Thanks for all your feedback - Jackie really enjoyed participating & everyone at Ford learned a lot from this experience.

Comments: 1358 • Responses: 28  • Date: 

AssortedInterests508 karma

Ford killed the Ranger claiming the small truck market dried up, but Toyota continues to sell buttloads of Tacomas. Why not try to push to innovate in the market yourselves? I think you'd be surprised how much demand there is out there for the first company that makes a compelling smaller truck with a diesel engine that gets 30mpg highway. I'd sell my GTI for that, no joke.

jackiedimarco187 karma

We’re investing in F-Series because the small truck segment has steadily shrunk from almost 8 percent of total industry sales in 1994 to 1.9 percent of industry sales in 2012, plus F-150 3.7-liter V6 gets better fuel economy than today’s midsize V6 trucks.

ptrc00382 karma

Why do you people keep asking her questions? I can literally answer questions for her - just copy and paste from Ford marketing material, word for word.

Edit: Sorry, I meant her.

jackiedimarco173 karma

Just FYI, I'm a her.

Cecil_Hardboner38 karma

tall person here: Why the hell doesnt the driver's seat go further back in all vehicles?

EDIT: I am 6'8" and i drive a 2003 Ford Expedition, and I wish the seat in that went back another 3-4 inches.

jackiedimarco121 karma

We design our cars to be comfortable for everyone from a 5th percentile female to a 95th percentile male. Unfortunately, you're above the 95th... I wish I had a better answer for you.

AskMeWhyItHappened25 karma

Jackie, I am a student in automotive engineering. I have wanted to work for Ford since I was 8 years old.

What advice do you have to help me get my foot in the door as far as working for Ford once I graduate? Any inside secrets to give me an advantage over others?

Thanks for the AMA!

jackiedimarco41 karma

I'm so glad to hear you're passionate about automotive engineering! My advice to you: keep your grades up, get involved in student projects like Formula SAE, and pursue internships to get some real world experience. These are all things I did when I was a student that helped me get my foot in the door at Ford.

The Ford Careers site has information about internships and our Ford College Graduates program: http://corporate.ford.com/careers/careers-news-detail/careers-ford-college-graduate-programs?&ccode=US

Talpostal24 karma

Do you work in Dearborn? If so, favorite place to get Schawarma?

jackiedimarco26 karma

Yes - usually LaPita.

getyoshittighttyrone18 karma

[deleted]

jackiedimarco48 karma

Mine was my grandmother's hand-me-down 1976 Buick LeSabre -- it was yellow and we called it the Banana Boat.

wakuku16 karma

When can we expect a TRULY revolutionize vehicle? When can we start buying levitating Fords?:?

jackiedimarco104 karma

I have seen a Raptor go airborne.

Half_Goat_Half_Man15 karma

Die hard Ford fan here. I think you and the rest of your design team are doing an awesome job!

What made you got with a turbocharged, DI, gas-powered engine over a small diesel engine in the F-150? A lot of my fellow diesel enthusiasts were hoping for a diesel engine but are VERY impressed with the Eco-Boost

jackiedimarco1 karma

Thanks! The EcoBoost allows you to get many of the attributes that diesels provide such as 90% of peak torque over a broad range (1700-5000 RPM). This allows customers who like gas engines to stick with gas engines and doesn't require the heavy and expensive diesel after-treatment technologies.

cokethenwpepsi5 karma

Big Ford fan here, I love my 03 F150!

Now, my question. The Raptor has been out for a few years now, why haven't GM or Chrysler come up with anything similar? And will there be a second generation Raptor?

jackiedimarco4 karma

Glad to hear you love your F-150! The Raptor has been a great success for us and our customers love it too -- we can't speak to our competitors' choices. The Raptor's segment is really important to us so we will remain committed to delivering the best for those customers.

NebraskaSV4 karma

Do you personally own an F-150? Own any cars other than Fords?

jackiedimarco9 karma

I've only owned Fords. I've owned several F-150s in the past, but the nice thing about my job is I can take one home whenever I want. Right now I'm driving a new 2013 Fusion Titanium.

BillStickers994 karma

Thanks for doing this AMA. How are things with the Ford Atlas coming along? I do hope the concept and released version design does not change much. I was very impressed with the new updated look.

I had a Ford Expedition for 10 years and drove it 288,000 miles before I got a newer Ford Expedition.

jackiedimarco5 karma

We're thrilled with the response to the Atlas concept and our product team continues to listen to the feedback from people like you. Thanks so much for being a Ford Expedition owner - I work on that one too! Hope you'll get 300,000 miles out of the new one as well.

jewby_pls3 karma

What's your favorite vehicle to drive?

jackiedimarco6 karma

Depends if I'm in the mood for a Raptor or a Boss 302!

canofpotatoes3 karma

A topic I can get behind! How much creative direction do you have with new models (from the past, too)? I understand size and weight specs must remain similar, but as far as aesthetics, is it a small/large team that create the majority of the vehicle design and as the chief engineer is your input necessary before or after conceptual ideas?

Thanks again for doing this AMA!

Edit: Speeling

jackiedimarco7 karma

Thanks for your question. We have a very talented design studio team who is the brains and creativity behind the vehicle aesthetics. The team is quite large and my job is to integrate the vision of the designers with the functional requirements of the vehicle (size, weight, aerodynamics, driving dynamics, etc).

immerc3 karma

Thanks for keeping Dennis Leary employed, but I have to ask: why do your commercials all pretend that the people who buy trucks are all construction workers, when in reality most truck drivers are just buying into the "truck driver lifestyle"?

jackiedimarco5 karma

We have a wide range of customers and a wide range of vehicles to meet their needs from a base XL work truck to a premium Limited offering. Although not all of our customers are construction workers, they appreciate the "built Ford tough" capability of the truck and the fact that it can handle anything the construction worker throws at it.

This gives any customer confidence that their truck has capability for personal use (towing boats, motorcycles, etc).

dukilla2 karma

How did you get to where you are professionally? Have you worked for Ford since graduating?

jackiedimarco1 karma

I gave a little background earlier: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1cxt54/i_am_jackie_dimarco_chief_engineer_for_the_ford/c9kzu93

But yes, I've been at Ford since I graduated in 1996.

TheOnlyMrShadow2 karma

Hey, thanks for doing this AMA! What are your opinions on the suicide doors in older models?

jackiedimarco2 karma

Our customers tell us they love the rear opening doors on F-150 because they provide unobstructed access when loading items in the back of the cab.

4underscore____2 karma

Awesome AMA!

As an engineer, how do you prioritize certain vehicle features over others? For example, horsepower versus fuel economy? Do you have outside sources tell the engineering team what the marketplace has the highest demand for?

jackiedimarco2 karma

It's a combination of things: we take tons of data from our customers and run face to face research clinics on a regular basis, we also look at external publications like JD Power, Consumer Reports, and Truck Trend. In addition, we benchmark competition, and we use a little bit of gut feeling.

idontmindpeople2 karma

Where did you go to school, and what did you take in high school if you can remember. Love the truck

jackiedimarco2 karma

I grew up in Youngstown and I went to Ohio State for college. As far as high school courses, I definitely took the highest level math I could as well as physics, chemistry, etc. I also did speech team (similar to debate) and I think it's great for anyone pursuing a professional career to have that experience.