GM to Use Aluminum Bodies on Next Gen Trucks

[King T]

GM Secures Aluminum for Trucks

General Motors Co. is accelerating efforts to field a largely aluminum-bodied pickup truck by late 2018, under pressure from federal fuel efficiency standards and archrival Ford Motor Co., according to people familiar with the matter.

The No. 1 U.S. auto maker recently locked-in supply contracts with Alcoa Inc. and Novelis Inc., which are now working to increase their aluminum sheet production to supply the next-generation GM pickup, the people said. Aluminum sheet for automotive bodies is in such high demand that companies need to order it years in advance.

The push to develop what the industry calls an "aluminum intensive" large pickup marks an apparent change of direction for GM, which has pursued smaller and lighter weight steel-bodied trucks.

Before Ford's debut last month of its 2015 F-150, with a body made almost entirely of aluminum, GM executives questioned whether such a vehicle could be cost competitive or appealing to U.S. customers.

Instead, GM developed two small pickups, the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, to meet rising demand for better fuel economy. Those two vehicles are due to arrive on the market as 2015 models this year.

Chrysler Group LLC, now part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, took a third path, boosting the mileage of its steel-bodied Ram pickups with 8-speed transmissions, high-efficiency axles and advanced gasoline and diesel engines. This month Chrysler expects to start selling a Ram 1500 diesel that is rated at up to 28 highway miles on a gallon, setting a new bar for pickups.

Such diverging strategies was unusual among the Detroit Three. In the past, all offered variations of the same design: A steel body bolted to a heavy steel frame, powered by a large eight-cylinder engine. Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. also followed that formula, albeit with less success.

The shift is important because of the volume and profit from their truck sales. Last year, GM sold about 665,000 of its two trucks and Ford sold 763,000 F-series trucks. On average, analysts estimate the two collect about $7,000 in gross profit on each truck sale.

Now, it appears that the two largest suppliers of pickup trucks are again driving in the same direction, but with Ford nearly five years ahead.

A Ford spokesman declined to comment directly on GM's move. "Our innovation and use of advanced materials have consistently set the direction for the American truck market," he said.

"Ford's introduction of the 2015 F-150 pickup truck was a game changer, and it's the first, not the last, conversion of this type," said Novelis spokesman Charles Belbin.

GM's new 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks were completely redesigned and went on sale last September. Out of the gate, sales have disappointed and unsold Silverados at dealerships reached a hefty 151 days' supply at the end of January, up from 98 days' supply for the old model a year earlier.

GM executives are betting they can offset Ford's lead by using more advanced welding techniques to produce a lighter, stronger and easier to assemble truck, according to people familiar with the company's plans. GM said it has a patented process that uses multi-ringed electrodes and eliminates lots of rivets from its assembly.

The process has already been used in the production of the hood of the Cadillac CTS-V, the lift gate of hybrid versions of Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon and in the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.

Ford invested hundreds of millions of dollars to overhaul its truck plants to accommodate a shift to riveted aluminum panels from welded steel body parts.

GM executives had considered moving to a largely aluminum design for its Silverado and Sierra pickups in 2008, but abandoned the idea over cost concerns amid the industry downturn, the people said. Those discussion resurfaced last year before Ford displayed its aluminum truck, they added.

Mark Reuss, GM's global product development chief, last month hinted at the auto maker's potential aluminum push, saying executives and engineers were preparing a critique of Ford's new F-150, which cuts up to 700 pounds off the current model. Ford hasn't disclosed its 2015 F-150's mileage rating. One version is light enough to come equipped with a 2.7-liter six cylinder engine, considered tiny for a pickup truck.

"We need to see how much aluminum is in it, not what they say is in it but what is actually in it," Mr. Reuss said the night before Ford introduced its truck. "We are going to look at what they advertise as the weight savings from it and then we are going to go back and do some math.…We can play this game real easily."

Even before the GM pickups get fully redesigned, the auto maker plans major component upgrades within two years. GM is expected to refresh the current Silverado truck in 2016 with a 10-speed transmission that is being developed with Ford. The Dearborn, Mich., auto maker also would adopt the 10-speed transmission that year.

The changeover to aluminum is so significant, Ford must close its truck assembly plants for a total of 13 weeks this year to install new equipment required to build the aluminum truck.

Ford also has begun offering to subsidize dealers that upgrade their collision-repair equipment and training to handle aluminum-bodied vehicles. Unlike steel, aluminum fender-benders cannot be hammered out, puttied, sanded and painted as now.

[King T]

GM Planning Aluminum Body Pickup Trucks by 2018

General Motors might be the next company to field an aluminum body pickup truck.


Ford revealed its massive gamble during the Detroit Auto Show last month, claiming to have zapped 700 lbs from the curb weight. The news of an aluminum F-150 – the best-selling truck in the U.S. – triggered a rush for aluminum supplies. According to the Wall Street Journal, General Motors is working on building an aluminum body for the next generation of Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra due in 2018.

The Detroit auto maker recently secured contracts with aluminum suppliers Novelis and Alcoa.

If GM goes ahead with building aluminum-bodied trucks, it could have an advantage in production over Ford. The F-150 body panels are riveted and bonded, but GM would likely weld the panels together using the same process already in place for smaller panels on other General Motors products. That process would reduce the material required and ostensibly the curb weight. It would also be a faster production process than what Ford is using.

[King T]

GM To Produce Aluminum Body Pickups, Secures Alcoa and Novelis As Suppliers

The Wall Street Journal today announced that GM is planning on producing aluminum-bodied pickups for the next generation Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, due for 2018. This comes on the heels of Ford moving the 2015 F150 to an all-aluminum body, with around 97% of the body structure being aluminum (Including the load floor of the bed), which Ford claims has saved 700 pounds off the curbweight of the F150. GM plans to weld panels together as opposed to Ford’s riveted and bonded aluminum panels, to seek further weight savings.


General Motors has secured supply contracts with Alcoa Inc. and Novelis Inc. for their next-generation pickups. Alcoa will also supply aluminum for Ford’s upcoming ’15 F150.

GM’s global product development chief, Mark Reuss, hinted at considering aluminum-bodied pickups last month:


“We need to see how much aluminum is in it, not what they say is in it but what is actually in it,” Mr. Reuss said the night before Ford introduced its truck. “We are going to look at what they advertise as the weight savings from it and then we are going to go back and do some math… We can play this game real easily.”

Sources familiar with GM’s plans tell the WSJ that rather than using riveting and bonding like Ford, GM has developed a process that uses multi-ringed electrodes to weld the aluminum panels, eliminating a considerable amount of rivets from the production process, reducing weight and assembly time. It takes much less time for a machine to weld panels (be it spot or bead welds) than riveting panels together. This process is already used in smaller aluminum panels, like the aluminum hood of the Cadillac CTS-V, the new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, the last-generation hybrid Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs.

The alleged move to aluminum for GM represents a major shift in the pickup segment: for the first time in memory, fuel economy is the prime focus, rather than payload, towing or power. For GM, the move to aluminum can be construed as a tacit admission that their evolutionary approach to their new full-sizers is not adequate. Sales of the new trucks have been disappointing, with inventories approaching 151 days.

[snizzle]

Anyone feel GM waits on industry trends set by *ehem* others *ehem* and shows up late to the party?

[KMPrenger]

The advantage (sort of?) for GM is they wouldn't have to loose as much weight as Ford to stay close, so that has to help. If GM can lose another couple hundred lbs, and gain another 1 or two MPG via powertrain advances they are right there with Ford.

I think an issue is that people tend to think of the new GM trucks as just a slightly new, refinded version of the old truck, while Ford has made a bigger impact, to the point that people are looking at it as a much bigger evolution...something new and exciting. I don't think GM accomplished that.

Now that is a dang good looking truck.

Originally Posted by King T

[mickss]

Originally Posted by snizzle

Anyone feel GM waits on industry trends set by *ehem* others *ehem* and shows up late to the party?

Perhaps. It may also be a case that they (GM) wants to make sure they have every thing right before they roll out a new model. You could also say that seeing what others are doing you can avoid the mistakes and improve on the strong points.

Some times being late to a party can be a good thing.....you can make sure you`re not wearing the same dress as someone else is at the party.

[Kyle2k]

Originally Posted by snizzle

Anyone feel GM waits on industry trends set by *ehem* others *ehem* and shows up late to the party?

That is definitely an "almost always" - the most innovative thing they have done recently is bring back a mid-sized truck with a small diesel to the American market which is actually really cool. GM should do stuff like this more often.

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by snizzle

Anyone feel GM waits on industry trends set by *ehem* others *ehem* and shows up late to the party?

GM has always been too risk averse. Even more so after the bankruptcy.

Like Kyle said, the midsize trucks are probably the first big gamble GM's taken in a while. Especially with the diesel.

[Camaro_Corvette]

Originally Posted by snizzle

Anyone feel GM waits on industry trends set by *ehem* others *ehem* and shows up late to the party?

Sometimes being first isn't always best.

[trashmanssd]

I think its fuel prices and the scare of them rising, and that the truck is just avg looking have hurt the sales numbers. big square wheel wells make the tires look small. front is way to busy looking, count how many different lines/pieces there are on the front nearly 50. The new interiors are avg also nothing that makes me think wow i really want that. The GMC nose is better looking but has a lot smaller dealer foot print. The new Colorado looks great to me we will see how that does.

[Kyle2k]

Originally Posted by Camaro_Corvette

Sometimes being first isn't always best.

Big risk, big reward

[Thrillz]

I think there first priority is hire a new design team for there trucks. How does GM come out with the gorgeous 5th gen Camaro and the C7 vette but yet can't build a good looking truck. Square wheel wells really?

[FenwickHockey65]

GM trucks have had squared off wheel wells for ages.

[trashmanssd]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

GM trucks have had squared off wheel wells for ages.

exactly some times you need to change so it doesn't feel stale.
I dont dislike the square wheel wells its just that they are so high that the tire looks lost in it. the truck just looks like it was designed not to offend or turn anyone away but that also means no one see's it and says i have to have that truck.