Ford (IW 500/6) (F) is going big with its latest aluminum play.
The automaker on Sept. 29 announced it plans to expand its use of aluminum to the F-Series Super Duty pickup truck.
"Ford, with the 2015 F-150, is the first automaker to use high-strength, military-grade aluminum alloys in the body of a mass-market vehicle and plans to expand its aluminum use to include the next-generation Super Duty," the automaker said in its 2020 Vision investor presentation.
Speculation about Ford's plans for an aluminum Super Duty has been high since August when spy photographers captured the next-generation Super Duty pickup bursting into flames in Death Valley. After the fireball dissipated, only an aluminum frame remained.
The official announcement marks another win for aluminum in the automotive lightweighting battle between aluminum and steel.
