Take a look at the next big thing in luxury automotive travel. Is it a Caddy? A Lincoln? Nope, it’s the new F-150 Ford Lariat pickup, due out later this summer.

Apparently Ford is responding to women who are “on the go” but want to avoid the SUV scene.

According to a recent story from ABC News:

At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Ford marketing manager Jeff Marentic said the new F-150 models are different.

“We have dialed up comfort on this vehicle and we’ve dialed up convenience on this vehicle,” he said.

The F-150 Lariat, which will be available in late summer, looks almost like a Jaguar on the inside, with plush leather seats and plenty of chrome.

“It offers levels of craftsmanship, levels of options, levels of features that you would never think you would find in a pickup truck,” says Marentic.

The F-150s now have vanity mirrors, standard runningboards, softer seats and even DVD players to occupy toddlers in the back seat. They also have pedals that adjust for smaller drivers. The vehicle is lower overall than its predecessors.

Shelley Bertucci of suburban Chicago is at the forefront of the trend toward women in pickups. She owns a Ford pickup and drives her four kids around town in it. She also says it has a certain cachet that other vehicles do not possess.

“l have guys that wave to me and I don’t even know who they are,” she said. “They just wave because they see the truck and they see who’s driving it and they’re just amazed.”

For the complete story from ABC News, click here