It is hard to believe that for over 30 years, the Ford F-150 has remained the best-selling vehicle in the United States. Then again, is there any car or brand that is better known for mass production of affordable and reliable vehicles? We think not, and the next-generation Ford F-150 is among the most anticipated vehicles of the next few years, but the current model also remains wildly popular with buyers.

It’s a good problem to have, and for Ford the solution is to build both the old and new models at once. Automotive News reports that Ford will continue production of the current F-150 model up to six months after the new model debuts on dealership showrooms, in an effort to prevent any sales interruptions of the country’s best-selling vehicle.

Retooling a massive truck factory is a time-consuming process that Ford last undertook in 2008, when low gas prices pushed demand for trucks and SUVs down. However, gas prices have not sapped demand for pickups lately, and Ford wants to make sure it has a steady supply of trucks to sell to customers. The current model is so popular that Ford also recently added another shift and 900 more workers to build the current F-150 at the Kansas City assembly plant.

Ford pulled a similar stunt back in 1996 when they introduced the Triton powered trucks, we can still remember the big ad campaign starring actor Jack Palance. The old model F-150, which was pretty much the evolution of a design that debuted around 1981 continued to be built as a 1996 model all the way up to 1997. We’ve even heard rumors of a similar trick about to be pulled with the Mustang, where the current 2014 S197 model may run longer so the 2015 can debut next April in New York, although we have our doubts Ford will be able to keep a lid on it for that long.

Production of the next-gen F-150 is slated to begin in July of 2014, right around when the next Ford Mustang should start rolling off assembly lines. The next-gen F-150 will be a much different truck, with an emphasis on fuel economy and likely a higher price tag as Ford tries to meet government mileage standards using exotic materials like aluminum and magnesium. The next F150 will closely resemble the Atlas concept and should hit showrooms late next summer, we can’t wait to drive one.