Ford’s move to swap steel for aluminum in the construction of its all-new F-150 pickup has been a controversial one, on the one hand promising better gas mileage and performance, while at the same time threatening future owners with higher repair costs. Viewed purely from a technological point of view, it is a more advanced way to build a vehicle, but if owners spend a fortune fixing dented panels than it will have been for nothing.
Edmunds tells us that it has inside information that the Blue Oval is also pondering a switch to aluminum for its all-new Explorer and Expedition models. The article doesn’t say when these would go into production, but it does allude it by stating that “the U.S. metals industry is believed to be gearing up to help produce more aluminum Fords starting around 2018.”
It’s a move towards efficiency in Ford’s quest to cut its overall range emissions by 4 percent every year. That’s a lot in the context of the industry and its increasingly stringent regulations, and it may push the American brand hard, forcing them to take risky decisions; this could be one of them.
Joe Bakaj, vice president for product development for Ford of Europe, explained that “six or seven years ago, it was less than 1 percent annually. The days of launching a new engine and leaving it in production for 20 years are gone. CO2 regulations around the world require a yearly gain of 4 percent — that’s huge.”
Note: 2015 Expedition pictured
By Andrei Nedelea
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