843de

"The Wall Street Journal announced that GM is planning on producing aluminum-bodied pickups for the next generation Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, due for 2018. This comes on the heels of Ford moving the 2015 F150 to an all-aluminum body, with around 97% of the body structure being aluminum (Including the load floor of the bed), which Ford claims has saved 700 pounds off the curbweight of the F150. GM plans to weld panels together as opposed to Ford’s riveted and bonded aluminum panels, to seek further weight savings.

General Motors has secured supply contracts with Alcoa Inc. and Novelis Inc. for their next-generation pickups. Alcoa will also supply aluminum for Ford’s upcoming ’15 F150.

GM’s global product development chief, Mark Reuss, hinted at considering aluminum-bodied pickups last month:

“We need to see how much aluminum is in it, not what they say is in it but what is actually in it,” Mr. Reuss said the night before Ford introduced its truck. “We are going to look at what they advertise as the weight savings from it and then we are going to go back and do some math… We can play this game real easily.”

Sources familiar with GM’s plans tell the WSJ that rather than using riveting and bonding like Ford, GM has developed a process that uses multi-ringed electrodes to weld the aluminum panels, eliminating a considerable amount of rivets from the production process, reducing weight and assembly time. It takes much less time for a machine to weld panels (be it spot or bead welds) than riveting panels together. This process is already used in smaller aluminum panels, like the aluminum hood of the Cadillac CTS-V, the new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, the last-generation hybrid Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs.

The alleged move to aluminum for GM represents a major shift in the pickup segment: for the first time in memory, fuel economy is the prime focus, rather than payload, towing or power. For GM, the move to aluminum can be construed as a tacit admission that their evolutionary approach to their new full-sizers is not adequate. Sales of the new trucks have been disappointing, with inventories approaching 151 days."

Courtesy of The Truth About Cars

Snoopy

Ho-Hum....still playing follow the leader.

But to GM's credit, they do IMPROVE, on what they copy....IMO.

843de

A forced move more than playing follow the leader, all the automakers are quietly messing themselves over the ever tightening 2011-2025 CAFE requirements, while simultaneously hoping they are relaxed by the next administration.

firemangeorge

Hmmm. I hope they're able to find a solution to the long term corrosion issue that can plaque painted aluminum body panels.
Having been around firetrucks for almost 30 years, I have witnessed this problem many times on our trucks.
Seems there is a corrosion or electrolysis thing that happens. It will appear to be rust under the paint, witnessed by the bubbling of the paint itself. Scrape off the bubbled paint and you'll find a chalky white dust and a pitted aluminum surface. It usually shows up within a couple years from purchase new. Not a large area problem. Mostly just a few small spots, generally around the edges of a panel.
And, it's not limited to one manufacturer either. I've seen it on all the painted aluminum bodied trucks in our fleet.

donbrew

That sounds more like a "prep" problem (like fingerprints left behind). Electrolysis normally would show up at junctions of unlike metals.

Silverfox

I think I'll let them all build some and see where the problems are before I would buy one.

Somewhere down the road we may get a decent replacement with an Aluminum body for our Precious little HHR's

As President Regan Said ..... Trust but Verify.

SF

donbrew

Fibreglass!

Snoopy

They're still following the leader, they are still "thinking" about it. Ford is the first of the Big 3 truck manufacturers. Even if GM is/was thinking about it, they are still following the leader......

But as a side note to the article.......can you really appreciate the cost of body repair on an aluminum body panel vehicle. According to articles I read regarding the Ford, the cost of body panels is a serious consideration along with the increased insurance cost (probably increasingly expense after the first year or so.....because of incident history).

donbrew....you are partially correct. I've seen some of the proto mules with "fiberglass" type material that is similar to the product used on the Corvette. GM does have that down to a quality product. This however, was on passenger type vehicles....not trucks ("shades" of the old "P" car).

It's kind of funny. When you mentioned FIBERGLASS, I immediately thought of the 1 ton dually trucks. With rare exception, I have seen very few that didn't have a cracked or broken fender over the dually area. But that is true stranded fiberglass, I believe. The Vette is a mostly a different material entirely.

donbrew

I was joking about fibreglass.

Silverfox

Seems the Main Objective is weight reduction.

Coventional Polyester fiberglass? .. Doubt they would save much on weight.
Newer more high tech composites .... Possibly ... but the additional costs will be the next issue/problem.
I do not know where GM is as far as the latest plastics and high tech fiber products and resins go.
Fiber glass and related composits do not corrode like metals and paint adhesion is better. Thats A Plus...

Aluminum creates as many problems as it solves in an auto enviroment.
Just look at outboard motors used around salt water.
Electrolysis, Corrosion, Paint adhesion, to name a few.

Guess we will just have to wait to see what they finally settle on.

SF