More aluminum vehicles likely to hit the roads

Although the vast majority of vehicles on the road today are manufactured with a steel body and chassis, aluminum has slowly but surely found a home in the automotive industry.

Once found mainly in luxury vehicles, aluminum made the leap to the mainstream in 2014 when it was announced that the Ford F-150, the nation's top-selling vehicle, would become the first pickup truck with an all-aluminum body.

Scott Oldham, editor-in-chief for Edmunds.com, a car shopping website, says manufacturing of full or partial aluminum vehicles is likely going to increase, as manufacturers look for sleeker, lighter-weight vehicles to increase fuel efficiency.

According to Ford, the switch to the lighter-weight aluminum — coupled with increasing the strength of its frames — shed 700 pounds from the Ford F-150, therefore increasing towing capability and efficiency.

Toyota Motor Corp. plans to jump into the aluminum business, as news reports indicate the company will manufacture the U.S.-built Camry's 2018 model with an aluminum hood. The Camry is the nation's best-selling car.

Oldham points out that the F-150 has had an aluminum hood for the past several years.

"Many vehicles have some aluminum," he says. "It's been on the radars of car companies for a very long time. It's hard to find a model of a luxury vehicle that doesn't have a fair amount of aluminum on the body. It's not limited to body panels. Many suspension parts are aluminum, too."

Jack Nerad, executive editorial director for Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com, says its likely manufacturers will continue to add more aluminum to their fleets.

"In the next five years, there will be a lot more uses of aluminum in various back panels, hoods and roofs on cars," Nerad says. "We're going to see this more and more."

Oldham adds that some manufacturers are even looking at carbon fiber for bodies, which is even lighter than aluminum.

What are the benefits of cars built with aluminum?

Nerad says the biggest benefit is the fuel savings because of aluminum's lighter weight. This is good for both consumers and the manufacturers, which are facing pressure from the federal government to increase fuel economy. By 2025, the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, program will require vehicles to average 54.5 miles per gallon.

"I think we will see an increase, largely for fuel economy reasons," he says. "Aluminum is lighter than steel. It's the number one reason why, absolutely."

On the Ford F-150s, aluminum actually increases the towing capacity because of the lighter weight. "There's less mass to haul around," Nerad says. "The truck is lighter, so the truck can tow more."

The aluminum bodies don't appear to have affected the F-150's safety ratings. In fact, the 2015 all-aluminum body F-150 received a five-star crash rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the highest score a model can receive. That's up from four stars for the previous model.

"There doesn't appear to be any major difference between steel and aluminum in crashes and scratches," Nerad says.

One potential pitfall to buying a vehicle with an aluminum body is the possible lack of body shops with workers that are skilled in auto aluminum repair.

"Most body shops are skilled in steel," Nerad says. "Working with aluminum is a special skill. Aluminum comes with special properties."

It's a point Ron Meister, owner of Shaker Quality Auto Body in Cleveland, is preparing for. Meister says he bought specialized welding equipment and is arranging for online training.

Oldham says it takes unique training and tools for aluminum bodywork.

"The majority of time, aluminum can cost more than steel to repair a panel," he says, adding that aluminum costs more for the manufacturers to purchase.

According to research by Edmunds, replacing aluminum body panels typically costs the same as steel. However, because of the specialized training required and the additional time it takes to repair aluminum, the labor costs are more expensive.

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