Ford's next F-150 is a seminal vehicle for the brand, and not the least because it's the bestselling vehicle in the U.S., period. But as Automotive News reports, launching the 2015 F-150 could be tricky thanks to its more aluminum-intensive construction. We already knew the F-150 was getting some of lightweight, expensive metal to cut weight—but AN also indicates the truck could be very aluminum-y.
Automotive News bases its assessment of the F-150—which essentially concludes the rig's entire body might be made from aluminum—on rumors surrounding Ford's Detroit show stand. (We had assumed that at the very least, the Ford would get an aluminum hood, doors, roof, or tailgate.) Apparently, Ford has ordered up a bunch of aluminum from Alcoa for its display area at the Detroit; AN takes this to mean the F-150′s aluminum mix could be quite impressive. This could explain Ford's having already delayed the new F-150 up to 10 weeks thanks to a few aluminum-related kinks in its manufacturing process. That kind of setback seems appropriate for a lot of aluminum content, less so for a single body panel.
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If the F-150 were to arrive sporting an all-aluminum body, it would mark a huge step forward in the pickup-truck segment. AN reckons Ford could shave a few hundred pounds of weight and possibly drop in the new 10-speed automatic it's working on to push the F-150 toward 30-mpg highway fuel economy. We'll have to wait and see, but we're certainly intrigued, especially if the truck also looks like last year's handsome Atlas concept.
from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com
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