Ford has been criticized in the past for using aluminum to construct its heavy-duty trucks. But according to recent interviews, the company is quite content with its choice of material and plans to stay the course.
1. Time to go on a diet
While many automakers use steel to construct their heavy-duty pickup trucks, Ford blazed a new path in 2014 by choosing to use aluminum instead. Some of the obvious reasons include reduced weight and better handling, but the automaker has also found the material brakes faster, hauls more, and tows more. Ford believes these are the needs that matter most to its customers. Going aluminum means that Ford was able to reduce the weight of their trucks by more than 700 pounds, which likewise means that their customers really see an improvement in these areas.
>>Join the conversation about why Ford is sticking with aluminum right here in Ford-trucks.com.
2. No impact on sales (yet)
Despite the fact that a majority of automakers continue to use steel for their pickup frames, Ford’s F series just logged its 41st consecutive year as the nation’s best-selling pickup in 2017. In fact, it outsold second-place Chevy’s Silverado by more than 300,000 trucks – the largest-ever gap between two pickups.
And this result came despite Chevy’s round of attack ads that portrayed aluminum as weak.
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3. The numbers don’t lie
Over the past three years, the F series' share of the full-size pickup market has increased 1.3% points. The automaker now owns nearly 40% of the market. With this growth, Ford has also increased its average transaction price, including a $3,200 jump last year to a record $46,000.
>>Join the conversation about why Ford is sticking with aluminum right here in Ford-trucks.com.
4. It’s a top-down decision
Corporate has bought into the idea that aluminum is the way to go for its trucks: "It's been fantastic," Brian Bell, Ford's marketing manager for the F-150 and Ranger, said in an interview."Everybody's got a different strategy. They all look at their own programs in different ways. We think what we did has been the perfect choice for us."
"Whatever you see in the advertising, aluminum's working," CEO Jim Hackett said last week at the Automotive News World Congress. "People love driving this vehicle. They have no problem with the performance of the material."
>>Join the conversation about why Ford is sticking with aluminum right here in Ford-trucks.com.
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