Ford's F-150 is the company's most profitable -- and most important -- product. Photo credit: Ford Motor Co.
Detroit's automakers have gone through many changes in recent years, but one thing is still true: More than any other product, it's Detroit's pickup trucks that pay the automakers' bills. One top Wall Street analyst has estimated that Ford's (F -0.41%) F-Series pickup line is responsible for more than three-quarters of the company's total global profits -- all by itself.
It's great that Ford has such a profitable product line, but it's also a risk -- being dependent on one product is never a good idea. As Motley Fool industrials analyst Blake Bos and senior auto analyst John Rosevear explain in this video, that's why Ford -- and General Motors (GM -0.47%), which is in a similar situation -- are making huge investments in other parts of their businesses right now.
