General Motor's Co. recently introduced a new material in the construction of its pickup trucks; carbon fiber. GM plans to use this new, but costly material in the construction of truck beds for its premium pickup truck line. The move is largely seen as an effort to keep up with competition like Ford who introduced a similar innovation to its pickup trucks assembly,by using military grade aluminum in the construction of their trucks. GM hopes to implement the change in materials by 2019, which would increase the price it currently charges for the pickup truck but would help the company meet new environment standards and regulations as well.
GM's move to introduce carbon fiber to its pickup truck line will largely help the company differentiate itself from competitors in pickup truck market which accounts for 16% of the US auto market. In addition, GM hopes to influence competitors to also include this new material, by doing so cost for the innovation would decrease and brand recognition for pioneering the technology would increase. In addition the use of the relatively new and expensive material will allow GM to set it self apart as the only truck makers using the same materials found in high quality sports cars, thus enabling them to change their pricing to a luxury item.
By: Aaron Mandell
https://www.wsj.com/articles/gms-latest-weapon-in-pickup-truck-wars-carbon-fiber-1512565200
As a car enthusiast, this excites me! I know that carbon fiber is very expensive to produce but I think it looks wonderful! I wonder if GM will leave these carbon fiber parts exposed, or paint over them?
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