[optiongm]

Alisa Priddle, Detroit Free Press Business Writer

Ford will make its next-generation super-duty pickups of aluminum.

Raj Nair, Ford's head of global product development, made the announcement in a presentation to investors today in Dearborn.

Ford raised eyebrows when it announced the 2015 F-150 light-duty pickup would switch from a steel to aluminum body. That truck will go on sale later this year

Ford has not said what the fuel economy numbers of the F-150 will be, but the truck is 700 pounds lighter than the one it replaces and uses a smaller turbocharged engine.

Ford insists aluminum trucks will continue to offer durability and towing capacity that truck buyers want.

"Lightweighting offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to conquest," said Jim Farley, head of global sales and marketing.

General Motors has said it will make its next-generation light-duty pickups of aluminum.

Separately, Lincoln will add two new vehicles, Kumar Galhotra, head of Lincoln, said.

Galhotra did not say what they will be called, but they will not be new versions of existing vehicles. He also said the next-generation of the MKX mid-size crossover will launch next year.

Contact Alisa Priddle: 313-222-5394 [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @AlisaPriddle


http://www.freep.com/story/money/ca...tion-super-duty-truck-will-aluminum/16435193/

 

[Envoy4Life]

Yep. One already burned to the ground and the lack of, well, "evidence" confirmed it:

http://blog.caranddriver.com/hot-news-2016-ford-f-series-super-duty-prototype-catches-fire-explodes/

 

[optiongm]

Virtually no mess to clean up. That is one "green" truck.....after it's useful life just have a bonfire and roast some marsh mellows and sing kumbaya......

 

[GHull3]

Virtually no mess to clean up. That is one "green" truck.....after it's useful life just have a bonfire and roast some marsh mellows and sing kumbaya......

Puff, puff, give...It's from da Earf!

 

[Perian]

Yep. One already burned to the ground and the lack of, well, "evidence: confirmed it:

Yet, if we look at this announcement, it seems to confirm that the base F-150 change-over to aluminum is going so well, they will continue to integrate the material on other vehicles.

To a large (think profit) extent, Ford is betting the farm - don't expect anything less than success.

As the article states: This will be a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to conquest sales from GM & Chrysler.

 

[NoStopN]

This article doesn't actually confirm the next SD as being an all aluminum body. The exact quote:

Raj Nair, Ford's head of global product development, said its next-generation super-duty pickup will feature an aluminum.

Ford raised eyebrows when it announced the 2015 F-150 light-duty pickup would switch from a steel to aluminum body. That truck will go on sale later this year

The first sentence is incomplete. It will feature an aluminum....what? Were it not for the videos about magnets not sticking to camouflaged prototypes & photos of a burning test truck, this would be a misdirection play.

 

[akbar]

This article doesn't actually confirm the next SD as being an all aluminum body. The exact quote:
The first sentence is incomplete. It will feature an aluminum....what? Were

I did not know that the heavy duty being Aluminum was not common knowledge....
From what I know, the heavy duty program is very similar in its usage of Aluminium to the light duty F150

 

[Zydzik]

Perhaps they were using a mix of metals that proved to be too combustible and just decided for grounding a metallurgical properties that all-aluminium is easier

 

[GM-Joe]

My biggest question is how well will it work at 5 years, 10 year, and even 15 years old? Will it fall apart or perhaps last longer than steel?

 

[joseodiaga4]

PDF presentation http://corporate.ford.com/doc/780/10...esentation.pdf

 

[johnstarnes]

Oooh! Two new Lincolns! I wonder when we'll see the concepts for them?!

 

[skylark68]

Yet, if we look at this announcement, it seems to confirm that the base F-150 change-over to aluminum is going so well, they will continue to integrate the material on other vehicles.

To a large (think profit) extent, Ford is betting the farm - don't expect anything less than success.

As the article states: This will be a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to conquest sales from GM & Chrysler.

Well, until Ford decides to start using balsa wood instead of aluminum for the next generation truck for weight savings...

 

[KingElvis]

If they are converting the bigger seller, why not convert the smaller seller. The CAFE law now is supposed to incorporate trucks greater than 8501lbs GVW but its based on some kind of complicated metric which incorporates towing and hauling ability (the light truck aka less than 8500lbs gvw does not incorporate any kind of metric or algorithm for towing or hauling).

Decreasing body weight increases the payload/towing all other things being equal.

 

[KingElvis]

Yet, if we look at this announcement, it seems to confirm that the base F-150 change-over to aluminum is going so well, they will continue to integrate the material on other vehicles.

To a large (think profit) extent, Ford is betting the farm - don't expect anything less than success.

As the article states: This will be a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to conquest sales from GM & Chrysler.

How do we know the alum program is 'going so well' when they haven't even started production or sold one unit yet?

In fact the alum Ford will not be widely available until February '15. And the KC production facility is *still* making '14s while everybody else switched over to 15s a month ago.

 

[Envoy4Life]

They're seriously letting the MKT soldier on until 2020+?

 

[joseodiaga4]

They're seriously letting the MKT soldier on until 2020+?

I've heard that a replacement is coming in 2017. Most probably with a new name (Aviator)

 

[vanshmack]

I've heard that a replacement is coming in 2017. Most probably with a new name (Aviator)

Wow..A real name? I'll believe it when it happens.

 

[LetsRace]

I don't think the MKT will survive much longer, that's why they don't have anything for it.

 

[escaladelover]

PDF presentation http://corporate.ford.com/doc/780/10...esentation.pdf

perhaps a town car successor.

 

[b4z]

Do any of these trucks have aluminum wiring?