Lots of chatter in the automotive press recently has revolved around Ford and weight. First there was a story that the 2015 Mustang had gotten 200-300lbs heavier. That all started when someone from Mustang parts and tuning house Steeda made the claim on a message board post. It took a couple of days but the claim, which was stated in a pretty matter-of-fact manner was debunked when the world learned that Steeda didn’t have a 2015 Mustang and had never weighed a 2015 Mustang. They were simply taking a guess. The problem with guessing about stuff like that on a public forum and basically stating it as fact is that sooner or later someone is going to read it and then you are off to the races to attempt to get ahead of the story. The story went around like a gasoline powered wildfire. Everyone ran it….except us. Why not? The reason is pretty simple and all it takes is a simply knowledge of the context that Ford is operating in right now.

The public introduction of the F150 made out of aluminum is a HUGE deal. Really, really big time stuff and if you think for one second that the plan is to stop with the F-150 in terms of the uses of aluminum and other lightweight materials, you’re high. Ford has a history of rolling out their newest, latest, and greatest stuff on the F-150 because it is the flagship product line for the company. Ecoboost engines were debuted on the F-150 and that wasn’t an accident. Obviously the engines are better for fuel economy and all that jazz but the psychological reason they did it was to show how tough and reliable the engines were. That way when a soccer mom is shopping for a Flex the salesman says, ” The engine in this car is the same one that powers that big truck over there,” and then the customer thinks, “If it is reliable in that huge truck, I should have no issues with my car.” The same thing goes for the aluminum bodies on the F-150s and we’re now starting to see some of the future uses for the technology in “concept” cars like the Fusion you will see below. Doubling back on the Mustang for a second, do people really think that Ford isn’t going to dazzle all of us a little with some aluminum panels of lightweight material construction that either keeps the weight flat or even trims it some? We’d really be shocked if they didn’t.

The Fusion that you will see and learn about below was an engineering study done at Ford to see where they could get the weight to and as it turns out they were able to take about 25% off the car by the time they were done. This wasn’t a “let’s just make an aluminum body” decision as well. This is the whole car being seen and lightened up like this. From the hollow springs and sway bars to the carbon fiber (narrow!) wheels, to the use of actual carbon fiber and other materials on the interior, no stone was left unturned or unexplored. They even went so far as to install the 1.0L engine from the Fiesta into the car as a further weight reduction and recorded the same performance numbers out of both cars.  That being said, if they weigh the same it should be no surprise that the engine is able to move them around easy enough.

We’ll let Ford give you all the gory details on this one –

• Ford Lightweight Concept vehicle represents Ford’s ongoing research for future light-weighting and advanced materials applications, building on the all-new Ford F-150, which sheds up to 700 pounds through use of high-strength steel and aluminum alloys

• Light-weighting is a key component in Ford’s Blueprint for Sustainability; mixed-materials research vehicle explores how advanced materials might be applied for future high-volume vehicle production for better performance and gas mileage, and carbon dioxide emission reduction

• Ford Lightweight Concept reduces the weight of a 2013 Fusion to that of a Ford Fiesta, resulting in a nearly 25 percent weight reduction

• Mixed-materials research vehicle developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Program, together with Cosma International – a subsidiary of Magna International

Ford Motor Company today unveiled its Lightweight Concept vehicle, which uses advanced materials to explore future weight-reduction solutions that could improve performance and fuel efficiency while reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

The vehicle represents the latest phase of Ford’s research into developing sustainable technology solutions that are affordable for consumers and can be produced in large volumes across the product lineup. This research has also led to dramatic weight reductions of up to 700 pounds in the all-new F-150. The 2015 F-150 sheds weight through the use of high-strength steel and aluminum, enabling it to tow more, haul more, accelerate quicker and stop shorter – all with improved gas mileage.