US carmakers use aluminum, carbon fiber to cut weight

More vehicles than ever on display at the Detroit auto show are using non-traditional materials — aluminum, carbon fiber, magnesium — as US automakers fight to get vehicle weight down and gas mileage up.

Ford’s introduction of aluminum body panels for its workhorse F150 pickup truck was a radical shift which it said would knock up to 700 pounds (317 kilograms) from the truck’s weight.

But it presents a challenge to discerning buyers who are accustomed to the country’s premier pickup being built with solid steel, but also straining under high fuel costs.