Ford’s new F-150 triggers run on aluminum, according to The Detroit News.
Ford Motor Co.’s new aluminum-bodied F-150 pickup has triggered a stampede among automakers, sending many of the company’s competitors scrambling to ink deals with aluminum suppliers for the weight-saving metal.
“There’s isn’t an automotive manufacturer that makes vehicles in North America that we’re not talking to,” said Tom Boney, head of North American automotive business for Novelis Inc., the world’s largest supplier of the aluminum sheet used by automobile manufacturers. “Our customers will be making announcements fairly regularly over the next six years that will transform the automobile industry.”
Boney also is chairman of the Aluminum Transportation Group, part of the Aluminum Association, and he says “every boardroom” in the auto industry was forced to take a close look at Ford’s plans and adjust their own product plans accordingly.
