Aluminum 2015 Ford F-150
By: Jacob Gilmore
The longstanding Ford Motor Company, whose "F-Series trucks have been the best-selling vehicles in the U.S. for 37 straight years," is taking a new leap of faith for the coming year. Ford announced that it will begin production this coming Tuesday, November 18th at its Dearborn Truck Plant near the company's headquarters. It will arrive at U.S. dealerships in late December. The question is, will the new aluminum-sided F-150 set a new industry standard--or will it be a failed idea?
Ford's pitch is that the new F-150 is more full efficient and lighter, but also even more capable. Aluminum is a familiar metal in the auto industry; it's lighter than steel and just as a strong. However, this time aluminum will surround the entire body of a large vehicle. So what are the risks?
F-Series trucks have been the top selling truck in the U.S. for 37 consecutive years. In addition, they sold almost 100,000 more full-size trucks than General Motors. According to Morgan Stanley, an estimated 90% Ford's global automotive profits come from their F-Series. Any potential aluminum quality problems, production challenges, etc. could lead to customer doubts of the newly used metal, which will eventually lead to a reduction in sales.
On a positive note, Ford CEO Mark Fields to the Associated Press that the new 2015 F-150 has been through more than 10 million miles of testing--more than any vehicle in Ford's history. He claimed that the decision the idea "was a a very calculated and informed risk that gave us the confidence that we were going to get this done."
What do you think of Ford's strategic move in producing an aluminum F-150?
Will it be successful, average, or mediocre in comparison to other trucks?
Will it be successful, average, or mediocre in comparison to other trucks?
I could see there potentially being some problems with a new supplier that they don't have a longstanding relationship with. I could see it paying off if it is cheaper to produce the trucks and maybe if the trucks perform better from being lighter. I don't think the decision will be a mistake. Maybe, it leads to a slight decrease in sales.
ReplyDeleteThis idea seems like a good move on Ford's part since it could make the trucks more fuel efficient. F-150's are a very popular fleet truck and better fuel efficiency will make the trucks even more attractive than they already are to company's that need trucks for their fleets.
ReplyDelete