No matter how many different ways the Ford research group in charge of rethinking the F-150 pickup looked at improving its fuel economy, it was always the same answer that popped up.
“If you can use technology and materials to take weight out of the vehicle, you’ll always end up with the best solution,” says Pete Reyes, chief engineer of the 2015 Ford F-150.
The main goal in developing the new full-size pickup, which goes on sale later this year and has sparked controversy over its weight-saving aluminum body, was to increase efficiency without compromising capability. Alternative powertrains were considered, so was downsizing, but always it came back to the weight, Reyes says—the less of it, the better.
Source
Forbes