CLAYCOMO, Mo. -- Ford Motor Co. officially kicked off production of a new version of its popular F-150 pickup truck that features improved fuel economy.

The Dearborn, Mich.,-based automaker on Thursday unveiled the new truck at its Kansas City Assembly Plant. The truck will be available at dealers later this month.

"There's a lot of talk about the truck industry right now. But it's strong. It's important to America," Joe Hinrichs told KMBC's Jim Flink.

While the standard F-150 for 2009 gets up to 20 miles per gallon on the highway, the "superior fuel economy" version of the truck will get up to 21 miles per gallon. Company officials say fuel economy is now the third-highest demand from customers because of high gas prices.

"At the end of the day, it's all about getting the American consumers confidence back, not just at Ford, but at Dodge, as well as at General Motors," said Kent Ward.