{"id":69196,"date":"2013-12-27T09:47:49","date_gmt":"2013-12-27T14:47:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=69196"},"modified":"2013-12-27T09:47:49","modified_gmt":"2013-12-27T14:47:49","slug":"fords-aluminum-f-150-a-likely-star-at-detroit-auto-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2013\/12\/fords-aluminum-f-150-a-likely-star-at-detroit-auto-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Ford\u2019s Aluminum F-150 a Likely Star at Detroit Auto Show"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Ford Atlas Concept at its January 2013 Detroit Auto Show debut.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While most major automakers have already dropped broad hints about what they\u2019ll reveal at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show, Ford has been unusually quiet about its plans for the annual show\u2019s opening debut.\u00a0 But the likely unveiling is expected to be a big one: an all-new version of the maker\u2019s best-selling truck, the F-150.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not just a restyled pickup with a few more features.\u00a0 The 2015 Ford F-Series is expected to mark a dramatic shift in a market segment that\u2019s come roaring back over the last 12 months, the Detroit maker opting for a new, aluminum-intensive design that should shed 100s of pounds compared to the outgoing pickup \u2013 in the process improving fuel consumption by perhaps 5 miles per gallon.<\/p>\n

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Your Source for Automotive News!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That said, the automaker could face a serious challenge with a redesign of what has long been America’s best-selling vehicle. Even though buyers in every segment of the market are demanding better mileage, the question is whether the generally more conservative buyers in the pickup segment will feel comfortable with this major shift from rugged, time-tested steel.\u00a0 Ford will have to convince potential buyers they\u2019ll not only save fuel but also get a durable truck that won\u2019t offset those savings with higher maintenance costs.<\/p>\n

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The Atlas Concept making its debut - the production version may be a full 700 pounds lighter than the outgoing F-150.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ford gave a hint of what was coming during the 2013 North American International Show when it revealed the Atlas Concept.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of our strategy is to put all our vehicles on a diet,\u201d Ford Chief Operating Office Mark Fields told TheDetroitBureau.com, noting the goal is to remove anywhere from 250 to 750 pounds off the weight of its various products.\u00a0 Insiders reveal the higher figure was the target for the F-Series remake, though exactly how successful Ford was in reaching that goal remains to be seen.<\/p>\n

(New Ford Mustang also uses aluminum to shed weight. <\/em>Click Here<\/a>\u00a0 <\/span>for more.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Detroit maker is by no means the only manufacturer struggling to cut weight.\u00a0 The rough rule of thumb is that for every 100 pounds of mass taken out of a vehicle fuel economy rises by about a mile per gallon.\u00a0 And that\u2019s something that could prove critical in meeting the tough new federal mileage mandates that go into effect in 2016 and then in 2025.<\/p>\n

And curbing weight is complicated by other regulatory changes, especially in the form of tougher crash standards that generally mean adding more metal to protect passengers. And consumers are also driving the industry in the opposite direction, demanding more and more content on the vehicles they buy.<\/p>\n

(Chevy Cheyenne pickup concept cuts weight, boosts performance. <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a>for a closer look.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Another challenge is cost.\u00a0 Steel may be heavy but its strong and relatively cheap when compared to aluminum and even more exotic carbon fiber.\u00a0 Nonetheless, manufacturers are starting to migrate to new materials at a quickening pace, as Ford\u2019s new F-Series will demonstrate to the world.<\/p>\n

But perhaps the biggest obstacle Ford could face is consumer resistance.\u00a0 The maker shouldn\u2019t have a problem pitching the benefits of a lighter, more fuel-efficient truck. But pickup buyers are, on the whole, a cautious lot, folks who want to be sure that their vehicles will keep running no matter what. And with a large share of trucks sold to fleet customers, operating costs are closely scrutinized.<\/p>\n

Ford will have to convince potential shoppers that the new F-Series is at least as rugged and reliable as the truck it replaces.\u00a0 \u201cFord\u2019s sales job will be considerable,\u201d notes a story by the Bloomberg News Service, which notes that the maker and its materials supplier Alcoa will make extensive use of aluminum at Ford\u2019s auto show stand to help visitors feel \u00a0more comfortable with the metal.<\/p>\n

(Awards highlight best in “green” technologies. <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a> to check them out.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite such concerns, industry analysts note that other manufacturers have successfully made the jump from steel to aluminum in recent years.\u00a0 Most of the products now sold by Jaguar and Audi, for example, use aluminum-intensive designs.<\/p>\n

But an even better comparison can be made to Land Rover, the British manufacturer known for its go-anywhere sport-utility vehicles.\u00a0 With the 2013 Range Rover and this year\u2019s Range Rover Sport, the company also adopted an aluminum body and frame, saving as much as 800 pounds in the process.\u00a0 And, if anything, Land Rover claims that the new utes have improved their legendary off-road capabilities.<\/p>\n

It remains to be seen if Ford can convince pickup buyers. But if it does, the significant improvement in mileage could prove to be a major advantage over well-reviewed competitors like the all-new Chevrolet Silverado and the Ram 1500 pickup recently named Motor Trend\u2019s Truck of the Year.\u00a0 In fact, Ford could force its competitors to quickly redesign their own vehicles to catch up.<\/p>\n

If not, the F-Series could wind up slipping from its exalted perch as not only the best-selling truck in America but the best-selling vehicle overall for the past three decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ford is expected to introduce an all-new version of its F-150 pickup at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show. Not just an update but an aluminum-intensive replacement that could shave 700 pounds of mass — and yield big fuel economy gains. But will buyers feel comfortable with this switch from steel? TheDetroitBureau.com has the report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69196"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69196\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69196"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=69196"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=69196"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=69196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}