Why others aren't adopting Ford's aluminum strategy - Automotive News
Some observers expected a rush to aluminum after Ford last year switched the body of the venerable F-150 pickup from steel to the lightweight metal. Nor is FCA expected to switch the Ram to an aluminum body with the next generation. General Motors is likely to increase the aluminum content in its pickups but stop short of going to a complete aluminum body on the next-generation Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. Instead, using its patented aluminum welding process, GM will use a mixed metal approach on the next generation of its full-size pickups that combines steel and aluminum. The upcoming Cadillac CT6 sedan is GM’s first high-volume vehicle to use all-aluminum outer body panels, but the CT6 uses steel components where extra strength is needed. Think of the CT6 as a dry run for the next Silverado and Sierra. It’s starting to look like the switch to all-aluminum bodies for high-volume vehicles may not happen at all. Ford had been dabbling in aluminum manufacturing technology and lightweight bodies since the 1990s. The company’s patented aluminum manufacturing process got a test run in England while Ford owned Jaguar. The XJ sedan switched to aluminum in 2003. Ford sees the F-150’s aluminum body as a way to differentiate the pickup from its competitors and to hone an image of. Source: www.autonews.com
