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Photo courtesy of USA Today/Gannett

Ford Motor Co. is set to debut its newly designed F-Series pickup truck lineup built with lightweight aluminum in place of steel.

The move is being dubbed a “high-stakes redesign of the top-selling pickup in history” by industry watchers.

The move to aluminum is expected to shed several hundred pounds—a move Ford is implementing to help meet rising federally mandated fuel-economy standards which will require automakers to achieve a 54.5 miles-per-gallon average by 2025.

While nobody is going to argue with the benefits of increased fuel efficiency, there are questions surrounding traditional pickup truck owners’—particularly the long-time Ford truck enthusiasts—willingness to buy a truck some perceive as being less durable and potentially having higher maintenance costs than steel-built vehicles.

After a nearly 50-year hiatus, aluminum started making a comeback in vehicle manufacturing with cars like the Audi A8, the Plymouth Prowler, and the Honda NSX.

The new F-Series will debut at the Detroit Auto Show. You can read more about the aluminum-intensive F-Series trucks in this USA Today story, and at Automotive News.

What do you think of Ford’s plans to introduce this new aluminum-built, lightweight pickup? Are you interested in owning one?

Author: Matt Griswold

After a 10-year newspaper journalism career, Matt Griswold spent another decade writing about the automotive aftermarket and motorsports. He was part of the original OnAllCylinders editorial team when it launched in 2012.