GM Investing Nearly $900 Million To Overhaul Its Flint Plant To Produce ALUMINUM Pick-Up Trucks And SUVs — Does It Look STUPID After Rallying Against Aluminum?

It seemed completely stupid when we first saw it. General Motors decided to take on the all-new Ford F-150 not with a better product, but with ads putting aluminum versus steel. Why is that stupid? Well, it's the oldest marketing trick in the book to name and shame your opponent, however, when it is inevitable that GM will make use of aluminum to save weight it's just silly.

And here we are, not long after, with an announcement that the company is making a HUGE investment to retool its plants for aluminum construction in its very popular pick-up trucks and sport-utility vehicles.

What say YOU, Spies?

Does GM look STUPID for putting aluminum versus steel now that it is shifting towards aluminum construction?

**Click "Read Article" below to read more about General Motors' all-new investment into its Flint plant.

...The Flint investment is part of a plan to expand three U.S. truck plants to install new assembly lines, body welding shops and paint operations for future generations of Silverado pickups and SUVs such as the Chevrolet Tahoe and Cadillac Escalade, while still running the operations that build current models...

...People familiar with the company’s plans say GM's next-generation pickups and SUVs will make use of various materials, including aluminum and lightweight steel, to shed weight and gain fuel efficiency to meet tougher federal standards. Assembling the new vehicles will require substantially different equipment than the tools GM uses today...

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MDarringer - 8/6/2015 9:41:04 AM

-2 Boost

This just means that Ford will call Chevy a copycat.

TomM - 8/6/2015 3:39:29 PM

-2 Boost

I note that FORD Trucks were always heavier - and while the current aluminum versions were considerably lighter than OLD Ford Trucks - they were not nearly as far from the current GM Steel body trucks. So - in fact the differences in fuel mileage were not all that significant (one mpg is simply not much in the real world) - and Chevy retained the most efficient V-8. WE already know that these Eco-boost engines - do not match their sticker ratings in the real world as well.

However - GM has patented a new process for "welding" aluminum to other metals - so they are likley to show real weight differences compared even to Fords current trucks.

Still - Steel DOES offer many advantages over Aluminum (Aluminum being softer for example) - and since their gas mileage was similar - touting that they still used steel in certain areas IS an advantage for some buyers. I do not care what they claim - the idea that Aluminum repairs are similar in price to steel repairs simply does not make sense as well. Auto-body shops need more specialized equipment for alumunum and someone has to pay for that.

MDarringer - 8/6/2015 8:46:45 PM

-2 Boost

I don't see the aluminum F150 having any real advantage over a Silverado or vice versa. I'm glad both are hot sellers though. All my trucks are Rams due to a tax loophole.

TheSteve - 8/6/2015 10:29:45 AM

-2 Boost

Using aluminum components to lighten weight, in and of itself, is not a problem. The potential problems might be in GM's specific implementation:
- Need for specialized manufacturing techniques (aluminum is not steel)
- Need for special design considerations (aluminum is softer than steel)
- Corrosion between aluminum and non-aluminum metal parts
- Possibly higher repair/replacement costs

Depending on how GM addressed each of these, they might have a big problem on their hands, or the alleged "rally against aluminum" might be misguided. Without knowing all the facts, we're just guessing which one it it.

quizz - 8/6/2015 7:19:15 PM

-1 Boost

spin spin spin, nothing new, all Fortune 500 do it.

skytop - 8/7/2015 10:16:06 PM

+1 Boost

GM is totally confused and without a clue. Even their truck design is nothing better thant the googly eyed 1990's look. Terrible.
GM = Great Mistake