aluminum truck

With Ford being the first auto manufacturer to put out an aluminum truck it is a move that has made ripples in the truck world. Ford has put all of their marbles into revamping the Michigan truck plant from steel to aluminum used plant. Solid point Although the price of the truck production has gone up $1000 per truck, but with recycling it brings it down to only about $700 per truck, this means a$700 price premium for the new all aluminum F150 With gas prices being a huge factor of the decision to go aluminum the truck is Fords new pride and joy of their truck fleet.

Big Idea The new F-150 will be a game changer in the light truck industry regardless of the price increase and gas prices. Game Changer

How It works With Ford having the #1 sold truck in the country for since 1977 means that what Ford does with their trucks determines what the rest of the truck manufacturers do with their trucks. New F-150 created a large buzz in the auto world by using aluminum, even though it is more expensive, the recycling of excess material is much easier to do so with and Ford has made a deal with Alcoa to get about 90% of the original price for each of the 6 alloys used. Re-equipping two whole factories that are used to produce the trucks is key because it makes the more efficient with newer technology, better equipment and more efficient recycling practices.

Key Benefits

-First in the industry/ industry leader .

Another key benefit is being the first to create an aluminum vehicle, meaning that they are at the forefront of technology and they will be able to fail, and get back up faster than other competitors.

– With all aluminum in the trucks, creating an 800-pound reduction and over 20% fuel mileage increase, 20% savings is a large impact on a profit margin for business owners.

–Weight Savings means higher towing capacity in a lighter truck BIG DEAL!!!! This will make the truck have a large competitive advantage over the class of trucks, having the highest towing capacity, which gives the truck the one up from other companies. #3 key benefit is the potential of soon bringing this technology to the rest of their vehicle line up as well as engines. Learning how to work with aluminum is a huge task to create fuel and weight savings across the Ford line up, especially with their Super Duty line-up, which has already been discussed.

Next Steps:

CARBON FIBER is the next step, the even lighter alternative than aluminum and is even stronger than any metal, as well as being a cheap process too. Take leads from BMW the largest carbon fiber producer in the world, to move forward in technology, weight reduction, safety and fuel savings.