Weekly Recap: Aluminum spurs controversy for Ford, Chrysler
 

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<blockquote class="pull-quote pull-quote-right">
<p>Automakers are increasingly turning to aluminum as a way to cut weight and improve fuel economy.</p>
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Aluminum was a flammable topic this week, and its use in the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/ford/f-150/">2015 Ford F-150</a> and potential use in the future <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/jeep/wrangler/">Jeep Wrangler</a> ignited controversy.<br />
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In both cases, it came down to money.<br />
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<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/ford/">Ford</a> stock took a brief hit on Wednesday when Morgan Stanley cut its price target from $16 to $14 a share, though it soon recovered later in the day. The reason? In a note to investors, Morgan Stanley said the aluminum-bodied F-150 could be a challenge to make and launches into an ultra-competitive market against entrenched products from <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/chevrolet/">Chevrolet</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/gmc/">GMC</a> and <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/chrysler/">Chrysler</a>. All of this could eat into Ford's short- and mid-term profits, the brokerage firm said.<br />
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A Ford spokesperson said the company generally doesn't comment on analyst reports, adding that it's working "to deliver profitable growth for all of Ford's stakeholders."<br />
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Meanwhile, Fiat Chrysler CEO <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/10/06/jeep-wrangler-aluminum-leave-toledo-report/">Sergio Marchionne suggested at the Paris Motor Show</a> that the redesigned Jeep Wrangler - which is likely still years away - could shift to an aluminum body in a bid to cut weight and improve fuel economy. That could mean relocating the Wrangler to a different factory, as retrofitting its longtime home in Toledo, OH, could prove too expensive.<p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/10/11/weekly-recap-ford-jeep-aluminum-dodge-viper-bmw-fuel-economy/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Weekly Recap: Aluminum spurs controversy for Ford, Chrysler</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/10/11/weekly-recap-ford-jeep-aluminum-dodge-viper-bmw-fuel-economy/">Weekly Recap: Aluminum spurs controversy for Ford, Chrysler</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Sat, 11 Oct 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our <a href="/rss-term-of-use/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/10/11/weekly-recap-ford-jeep-aluminum-dodge-viper-bmw-fuel-economy/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/20976082/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/10/11/weekly-recap-ford-jeep-aluminum-dodge-viper-bmw-fuel-economy/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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