[Panther Dash]

The 2015 Ford F-150 is starting an industry trend towards more aluminum in pickup trucks.

Ducker Worldwide recently released a study that shows that as many as 70 percent of pickups could have an aluminum body by 2025. It is expected that each leading automaker will have an aluminum body program in place, with Ford, GM and Fiat Chrysler being the biggest users of aluminum.

Reducing weight is a goal of most automakers to make vehicles more fuel efficient. Last year, vehicles averaged about 350 lbs of aluminum content and that number is expected to rise to nearly 400 lbs by 2015 and 550 lbs by 2025.

There is a concern that aluminum supply won't be able to keep up with demand in the coming years. Right now automakers use 200-million lbs of aluminum each year, but that could increase to nearly four-billion lbs by 2025.

The study also finds that 85 percent of all vehicles will have an aluminum hood by 2025 and almost half of all vehicle doors will be aluminum by the same year. In 2012, 33% of hoods were made of aluminum, and only 6% of doors were made of lightweight material.

 

[Accused]

Don't forget the added premiums they will all get to charge. Aluminium costs a fair bit more than steel, not to mention scarcities...

 

[Diesel Washington]

With higher demand the price will go up and then on top of that it is more expensive to begin with, so yes prices will be going up. I wonder if they will be able to keep the prices reasonable still, or if the trucks will simply get expensive.

 

[Tim]

Time to buy stocks in aluminum mining and manufacturing!

Actually Aluminum is a very common element, it's just hard to separate it from the hydroxide ions.

Will prices go up, yes, but it will be for more manufacturing plants, after-which the price would stabilize when capacity and demand equalize. In the course of time, I believe that pricing will remain reasonable.

A little American trivia...
A History of the Aluminum Cap of the Washington Monument

 

[L.O.A.]

Time to buy stocks in aluminum mining and manufacturing!

Actually Aluminum is a very common element, it's just hard to separate it from the hydroxide ions.

Will prices go up, yes, but it will be for more manufacturing plants, after-which the price would stabilize when capacity and demand equalize. In the course of time, I believe that pricing will remain reasonable.

A little American trivia...
A History of the Aluminum Cap of the Washington Monument

yup, thats actually good investment advice, better get in early if you can.

 

[Panther Dash]

I read an article about how the aluminum industry is going to be seeing big investment because of the car industry needing more of it. It actually could be a good idea to invest now. I'm not big on the stock market but I'm pretty sure that is how it works.

 

[AnywhereInTX]

Good for cars and trucks, bad for our wallets in up front costs. One thing many people aren't considering is body shops. Takes a skilled mechanic and some expensive tools to deal with aluminum. So you will see inflated costs all over the place when you buy and after you own.

 

[L.O.A.]

I read an article about how the aluminum industry is going to be seeing big investment because of the car industry needing more of it. It actually could be a good idea to invest now. I'm not big on the stock market but I'm pretty sure that is how it works.

it is indeed, while it's way too late to get into apple stock.... aluminum is where it's at!

 

[10%More]

Picked up my Eco back in March. Might have been the first one to come into South Florida. Dealer and literally everyone there had to look. Hood went up and down multiple times. Strange as dealer people had seen the engine in the Jeep.

A week after deliver that poor aluminum hood had been lifted and closed by literally everyone who stopped to look. Then there it was. Someone closed it hard and put a distinct hand print with thumb into the hood.

Dealer was super nice, gave me a rental car, and repaired the damage.

Use caution closing the hood. The aluminum dents rather easily away from the underneath bracing.