Ford Gets Aluminum F-150 Pickup Ready for Prime Time - DailyFinance
-- Russell Barnett, a Ford dealer in Tennessee, is ready for aluminum. Ford ( F ) is using the metal almost exclusively in body of the 2015 version of its best-selling F-150 pickup, which starts arriving at dealerships next month. And he's updated his repair shop not only for the F-150, but in anticipation that other Ford brands such as the Mustang will eventually make the switch from steel. Ford is doubling down on aluminum, which is lighter -- and more expensive -- than steel but just as tough. Ford hopes the advantages outweigh customer doubts about the durability of aluminum or potential repair costs for the pricier metal. So far this year, one out of every three vehicles Ford sold in the U. S. was an F-Series pickup. Morgan Stanley ( MS ) estimates F-Series trucks account for 90 percent of Ford's global automotive profit. On Tuesday, it kicked off production of the new truck at its Dearborn Truck Plant, four miles from the company's headquarters. " said Bill Ford, the company's executive chairman, as he stood alongside the assembly line. last year, Ford sold nearly 100,000 more full-size pickups than General Motors ( GM ). Aluminum isn't new to the auto industry, but this is the first. Source: www.dailyfinance.com
