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Ford Motor Company Aims To Expand Aluminum Usage In Lineup Beyond 2015 F-150

Ford Motor Company introduced the all-new 2015 F-150 pickup at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The big story is that the truck is up to 700 pounds lighter than before thanks to the use of military-grade aluminum in the cargo bed and body panels. And that’s just the beginning, as The Blue Oval plans on expanding the use of the lightweight material.

Bill Ford Jr., executive chairman of the automaker, said that the F-150 is Ford’s first shot at a high-volume vehicle.

“There’s absolutely no reason why we couldn’t think about taking it elsewhere,” Ford told Reuters, adding that the implementation of the material is a pretty big deal for the company.

Consumer taste and upcoming U.S. fuel economy regulations, known as corporate average fuel economy standards (CAFE), pushed the second-largest (by volume) U.S. automaker to make the bet on redesigning its most profitable and highest-selling vehicle with aluminum. The truck will help Ford meet those standards instead of lowering its average gas mileage, according to chief operating officer Mark Fields. During the introductory press conference at NAIAS, Ford also claimed that the lightweight material would be tougher and more resistant to dents than the steel used in the outgoing model.

To note, the broad utilization of aluminum has been reported as an area of concern for the new truck as it relates to insurance rates and the cost of body shop repairs, since an increase in both could result in a higher cost of ownership.

Production of the new F-150 will begin in the fourth quarter of 2014 in Dearborn, Michigan and in early 2015 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Tommy Zimmer is an up and coming freelance writer and journalist from Detroit, MI. He has freelanced for various websites like BleedingCool.com and local newspapers like the Detroit Free Press and Detroit Metro Times. You can check out all of his ongoings at zimmert101.wordpress.com or at twitter.com/ZimmerTR101

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