Chevy Goes On Offensive, Targets Ford with 3 Commercials – Tundra is Made of Steel Too!
Tim Esterdahl | Jul 08, 2015 | Comments 3
Rarely do automakers truly go after one another, yet when they do, it usually a “slip of the tongue” from a top executive. This is not the case with Chevy’s new 3 advertisement barrage calling out Ford’s use of aluminum. While the advertisements don’t specifically include the Tundra, just replace “Chevy” and “Silverado” with “Toyota” and “Tundra.” Without further ado, for your viewing pleasure, are the aforementioned videos.
Clearly, Ford will take exception to these videos and points out that insurance costs are on par with the outgoing model. Also, the repair time is up for debate. Yet, this is quite the offensive from Chevy.
We are just left to wonder, where is Toyota’s clever marketing team…
What do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Filed Under: Auto News
The argument for repair costs holds water, and insurance premiums will soon catch up to this increase in repair bills. In many cases aluminum is twice as expensive as steel and this reality will certainly drive up repair costs and insurance premiums.
As for the extra time for repair, I can’t see this being a major problem going forward once repair shops become more experienced working with this materiel.
The commercials with the bear and the cages, and Aluminum Man are interesting and will certainly sway some customers, but in reality most of the aluminum parts on the Ford have little to do with the structural integrity of the vehicle, and in certain cases can increase the safety of the vehicle for other reasons. Remember, many of our military fighter jets are 80-90% aluminum and they regularly sustain G forces a much as 10 times the G forces these trucks will ever see.
One thing not mentioned in these commercials is the increase in the price of the truck. Ford has done a good job keeping price increases to a minimum, but this is certainly cutting into their profit margin because I don’t believe the truck price reflects the increase in material and production costs Ford is incurring to produce this truck. Chevy can possibly make some inroads into Fords dominance in the pick-up truck market with these commercials, but Ford truck buyers are very loyal and many would not change brands, even if they made the F-150 out of plastic and paper mache!!
People trying to argue using welding over adhesive and rivets are not well informed. I remember when I first heard of automanufacturers using this because the sheet metal being used was so thin welding it would warp it. I still have yet to hear of a car falling apart during a wreck because of using rivets and ahesive. Ford could always argue that steel rust. In the military I’ve seen plenty of HMMWVs and the body panels are in pretty good shape and some of those are well over 20 years old. Military personnel beat on those things too.
I think that this article shows a well done set of advertisements by chevy. They bring up a valid point when talking to people about what kind of metals they trust to protect them. It is instilled in our minds that steel is the end all be all of strong metals. With the way technology is going for creating aluminum and structuring it, is this still a valid train of thought?
As for the costs of repairing your truck, there are many shops, at least in my area, that now do aluminum work. It is a rapidly growing industry with many lead companies making their chassis from all aluminum. It makes sense too, they can put lighter smaller engines into the vehicles and get the same effect if not greater than with a larger engine.