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

About The New F-150 | Slideshow

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

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. Ford said the new F-150 offers fuel economy that has improved an average of 8 percent across the entire lineup.

The start of production came with great fanfare, despite dismal sales numbers. In September, Ford truck sales nose-dived 39 percent as shoppers continued to gravitate toward small fuel-efficient cars.

"Ford is the truck leader and core F-150 truck buyers expect and demand the best truck on the market," said Ford Motor Company Group vice president of global manufacturing Joe Hinrichs, who thanked plant employees for a successful launch. "Ford's quality is on par with the best in the industry and the team at Kansas City Assembly Plant is delivering a truck that is 'Built Ford Tough' with an unrelenting focus on quality and craftsmanship."