Another issue raised by the aluminum cab and bed is how it will sit with a rather traditional base of buyers long accustomed to steel's ruggedness.
"We've done a lot of homework and we've found that 80 percent of our customer base understands that aluminum has strength as well as being weight-saving," Scott said. "Most people get it."
It's also true that the remaining 20 percent apparently aren't so sure.
"That means that 140,000 are skeptical," Phillippi said. "That's a lot of skepticism."
While there may be some discontent in the market, Ford maintains the new truck is the strongest, most durable F-150 ever. The company says the aluminum alloys employed in the cab and bed are very strong and more dent- and corrosion-resistant than steel, adding that the high-strength steels and design employed in the frame make it even stronger than its predecessor.
