GM Readying Aluminum Body Trucks for Late 2018
General Motors Co. is working towards a largely aluminum-bodied pickup truck by late 2018, under pressure from federal fuel efficiency standards, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. GM recently locked in supply contracts with Alcoa, Inc. and Novelis, Inc., and both suppliers are now working to increase their aluminum sheet production to supply the nextgeneration GM pickup, according to the Wall Street Journal. Aluminum sheet for automotive bodies is in such high demand that companies need to order it years in advance, the newspaper said. GM has been working to put its full-size pickup trucks on a severe diet to meet future U.S. fuel economy standards and stay competitive with rival, Ford Motor Co. “We are going to continue to improve the fuel efficiency of all of our products,” a GM spokesman said today in an email. “For competitive reasons, we are not talking about technical details of future products at this point.” Mark Reuss, GM product chief, made no secret of his interest in aluminum when he saw Ford’s
aluminum F-150 pickup at the Detroit, MI, auto show last month. “I want to get my hands on it,” Reuss told reporters. “I’m going to be looking at how much aluminum is in it. ‘What are the panels? … How are they constructed?’ I’m going to look at what they advertise as the weight savings from it. Then I’m going to go back and do some math.” Reuters reported in July 2013 that GM will start using more lightweight materials such as aluminum and composites in place of conventional steel. Ford has already made the switch. The new F-150’s latest upgrade’s body is 95 percent militarygrade aluminum alloy, used in Humvees, and will weigh up to 700 pounds less than the current model. Alcoa and Novelis, a private company, could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters.
Search: Autobody News on Facebook
Ford Recommends LORD Fusor in F-150 Repairs
LORD Fusor 108B, a metal bonding adhesive designed for body shop is now recommended by Ford Motor Company for the repair of their new 2015 Ford F-150 aluminum cab. Unveiled at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mich., Jan. 13, Ford Motor Company approved LORD Fusor 108B metal bonding adhesive for repairs on the 2015 F-150 military-grade aluminum alloy cab by their dealers and independent body shops. This new design will require adhesive in nearly all joints in the cab. Ford will be listing specific repair procedures in the collision repair manual along with instructions that will be provided with service parts. “Over the years, Fusor has led the industry with innovative metal bonding applications such as quarter panel bonding, rivet bonding on laminate steel and weld bonding with STRSW by working with the OEM repair teams before the vehicles launch. LORD Fusor has been a sponsor of the Ford Paint and Body Technology Center and continues to work with them to develop important vehicle repair procedures,” says Julie Miller, market manager at LORD Corporation. “We recommend follow-
GM's Handling of Fatal Switch Recall Being Investigated
The U.S. Justice Department has started a preliminary investigation into how General Motors (GM) handled the recall of 1.6 million vehicles with faulty ignition switches linked to at least 13 deaths. The inquiry is focusing on whether GM might have violated criminal or civil laws by failing to notify regulators in a timely fashion about the switch failures, said a person familiar with the probe who asked not to be named and isn’t authorized to discuss investigations. Lawyers in the U.S. Attorney’s office in the southern district of New York are leading the investigation. The inquiry comes as House and Senate committees and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are also investigating GM’s actions leading up to the recall. The initial recall on February 13, 2014, covered 778,562 Chevrolet Cobalts and Pontiac G5s. It was widened less than two weeks later to more than 800,000 additional vehicles. Those include 2003–2007 Saturn Ions, 2006–2007 Chevrolet HHRs, 2006–2007 Pontiac Solstices, and 2006–2007 Saturn Skys. Other models affected are the 2005–2006 Pontiac Pursuit sold in Canada and the
2007 Opel GT sold in Europe. NHTSA, whose decision not to investigate the switch failures years ago is also under scrutiny by Congress, is focusing on what steps the automaker took to investigate and rectify engineering concerns and consumer complaints dating back to at least 2004. GM has until April 3, 2014, to answer questions posed by the regulator in a 27-page order issued in early March 2014. GM has said that heavy key rings or jarring can cause the ignition switches to slip out of position, cutting off power and deactivating air bags. The automaker has linked the defect to at least 23 crashes, including 13 deaths. NHTSA could fine GM as much as US$35 million, which would be the most ever by the U.S. government, if it finds the automaker didn’t pursue a recall when it knew the cars were defective. GM’s stock has slid 9.2 percent in 2014 through March 10, 2014, and the recall is emerging as the first major test for new CEO, Mary Barra, who was promoted two weeks before the company decided to implement the recall on January 31, 2014.
60 APRIL 2014 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
ing the OEM procedure when using Fusor 108B for vehicle specific procedures. LORD Fusor 108B metal bonding adhesive is one of three approved repair adhesives by Ford Motor Company, including Motorcraft TA-1B.” Gerry Bonanni at Ford Motor Company’s Paint and Body Technology Center stated that the developed procedures are easy to follow and can be performed by any body shop that performs collision repairs on F-150 trucks today. “The approved adhesives are widely available and training will be available by I-CAR to assist technicians with this mainstream repair process,” says Bonnani. Ford will present information on the 2015 F-150 and aluminum repair at the AASP/NJ Northeast Show March 21-23 in Secaucus, N.J. Additional details will be presented at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) April 9-10 in Portland, Ore., NACE CARS 2014 July 31-Aug. 2 in Detroit, Mich., and at the SEMA Show Nov. 4-7 in Las Vegas, Nev. LORD Fusor 108B is currently available to all dealers and body shops. For more information please visit LORD.com, or call at 1-877-275-5673.
Audi Genuine Parts
Nothing else measures up.
Order Audi Genuine Parts from these select Dealers
So. California Audi of Downtown LA Circle Audi LOS ANGELES 213-747-7248 213-222-1261 Fax
LONG BEACH 800-675-2472 562-597-2854 Fax
Ask for Carlos or Fausto
Ask for Eddie or Nate
Arizona Audi Peoria PEORIA 623-561-4750 623-561-4703 Fax Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-4 www.autonation.com