Ford Starts Production on the New F-150

Today’s the big day for Ford ($F). The car maker is starting production on its aluminum-bodied F-150 pickup trucks.

It’s Ford Motor Co.’s biggest bet in decades: an aluminum-sided F-150 that could set a new industry standard — or cost the company its pickup truck crown.

Ford was scheduled to start production of the 2015 F-150 Tuesday at its Dearborn Truck Plant, four miles from the company’s headquarters. It will arrive at U.S. dealerships next month.

Ford thinks a truck that is lighter and more fuel efficient, but even more capable, will win buyers while its competitors struggle to catch up. Aluminum — which is lighter than steel but just as strong — isn’t new to the auto industry, but this is the first time it will cover the entire body of such a high-volume vehicle. Ford made 647,697 F-150 pickups at its two U.S. plants last year; that’s one every 49 seconds.

Here’s the CEO on CNBC:

Posted by on November 11th, 2014 at 10:15 am


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