Ford announced that their all-new 2018 Ford Expedition will be offered with an F-150 platform that heavily uses aluminum. The result of this is significantly reduced weight of the vehicle and improved fuel economy which became a most important factor for buyers of new cars.
Official reports that we have received state that SUV will be launched during 2017 as 2018 model. Further development in this segment by the US car maker shows the direct influence of the popularity rise in SUV segment. After gas prices have been significantly reduced we are getting more buyers that are interested in larger vehicles like this one. Since we know that gas prices will go up for sure, it is good to see that car makers are looking into the future where we will need more efficient vehicles.
Rumors that the Expedition will be utilizing aluminum underpinnings emerged a few years ago. Pretty much right after new F-150 upgrades were introduced. We didn’t have to wait for long before biggest SUV in Ford’s lineup employs aluminum architecture.
Even the same platform will be used for 2018 Ford Expedition like for the F-150 it is clear that we will not get so many engine options here. Recently we could see V8 unit abandoned from the lineup, and it was succeeded by the turbocharged EcoBoost V6 unit that brings better fuel economy ratings.
One of the problems with the transition to aluminum chassis and body panels was the fact that this material is not that durable like the good old steel we have on competitors. This didn’t prevent Ford to sell a huge number of trucks.
When it comes to SUV segment, it is clear that expedition is falling back behind competitors like Taho and Suburban. These two recorded 100k+ sale figures through August 2016 while Expedition with the addition of Lincoln Navigator managed to sell 46,808 units.
image source: autoblog.com
With upgrades that the 2018 Ford Expedition will receive it is clear that US carmaker is expecting things to change. The popularity of SUV segment will also cause Ford to introduce four all-new SUVs, at least that is something they announced. What we do not know is if these new vehicles will come to the US market.
