Will Chevrolet Eat Crow with Latest Aluminum Attack Ads?
Rolled form steel has been a staple of Chevrolet truck construction for a long time. When advertising the GMC Sierra, which uses the same process, General Motors points out that it’s the same steel used on submarines. Recently, Chevrolet went on the offensive, attacking Ford’s use of aluminum for the body of the 2015 F-150. Will this turn around to bite them in the butt in the future?
Chevrolet is quick to point out that the Silverado does use aluminum in several key areas of the truck, including the hood. Aluminum is lighter than steel, and reducing weight, especially higher up on the truck, can improve handling and performance.
Ford switched to aluminum to save weight. The F-150 was easily the heaviest truck in the segment, and taking approximately 700 pounds of it made it one of the lightest. The Silverado was a relatively lighter truck to begin with.
But there will be a time where the Silverado will need to lose weight. Fuel economy standards are going to demand that pickup trucks become more fuel efficient. Adding lightness is an easy way to boost fuel economy.
Chevrolet’s V8 engines are deceptively fuel efficient. Many hit or exceed their EPA numbers, and don’t see a significant drop when pulling a trailer or hauling a load. Get in the boost of an EcoBoost Ford and the fuel economy drops quickly.
But even highly-efficient engines won’t cut it when the government demands even more fuel economy. They’re going to have to reconsider the use of certain materials to make the truck lighter.
Right now, carbon fiber is WAY too expensive for large-scale, consumer products like a pickup truck. Those prices will drop as companies find more efficient ways to use it, but that’s still a long ways away.
There is a material out there right now that has been proven to work in automotive applications, and if planned properly can be done for similar costs to steel. That product is aluminum.
At some point in the future, the Silverado (and Sierra) will use more and more of the stuff. I foresee a time in the future where most of, if not all of, the body of the Silverado is made from the stuff. The same stuff that the body of the 2015 F-150 is made from today.
When that day comes, I can see Ford’s marketing department digging through the Internet archives and finding these attack ads. I can also see them shoving it in the General’s face and touting “we were right, you were wrong.” It’ll be a humbling day for General Motors.
Yes, the aluminum attack ads, especially with the average people and the bear, is extremely effective and brings home a good point. But at what cost does that win today affect Chevrolet in the future? Will they be eating crow here in the near future?
What do you think of the new ads? Do you think Chevrolet is shooting themselves in the foot, or do you think that they’ll never switch to an all-aluminum body? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or over in the forums!
