Chevrolet continues to capitialize on the success of its “Real People, Not Actors” ad campaigns. Thus far, it has applied the scenario to countless situations, providing an approachable feel to its vehicles.
Today, Chevrolet launched its latest initiative alongside its “Real People, Not Actors” campaign featuring the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado and its roll-formed, high-strength steel bed.
The formula is the same: round up some regular people, and show off the advantages to the Chevrolet product. This time, Chevy put Ford directly in its crosshairs. The video above is a three-minute long example of what will surely be broken down into smaller segments for television and digital, and shows precisely 55 landscaping blocks dropped from five-feet above the bed.
The Silverado walks away dented and scratched. The F-150? Punctured bed. No bueno.
Furthermore, Chevrolet states the Silverado was able to handle up to 90-joules of impact before a puncture occurred in the bed area, where the F-150 exhibited puncturing at only 40-joules.
“We engineer and build our trucks with customers’ expectations in mind. For example, Silverado features a roll-formed, high-strength steel bed because truck customers demand the ability to haul their toys, tools and other cargo. These videos demonstrate the real-world benefits of the Silverado’s bed, in both extreme and everyday scenarios,” Sandor Piszar, Chevrolet truck marketing director, said.
The high-strength steel application in the bed is formulated through a roll-form, rather than traditional stamping, a process that enhances material strength by creating less material fatigue than stamping.
And if you feel the tests are outlandish, Chevy has that covered, too. A simple toolbox falling into the bed resulted in a punctured Ford bed, while the Silverado’s remained in tact.
Comments
Need to screen this in movie theaters too before a few big movies so that all age groups and demographics are exposed to this.
I put bed liners in my trucks either way. For weight savings and rust prevention, I still prefer the composite beds like Chevrolet had in the early 2000’s and what Toyota has now in the Tacoma. The high strength steel stretches yes, but it rusts fairly quick as it’s thin and cannot be repaired but needs to be replaced. So I can’t say I’m big on it. Nor am I keen on aluminum. As shown, there’s very little stretching there, only punctures. Ford has a pretty big problem if this video hits Television, not just Youtube. It’s the most convincing Ford vs. Chevrolet commercial I’ve seen in many years.
I contrast both however with my composite experiences and I’m still of the opinion that Chevrolet should offer it on their next gen trucks. Properly built, they last forever and stand up to serious abuse. They could most definitely advertise them as Like A Rock again.
Well this is perfect marketing as it really displays the truth of aluminum and so called Military Grade for what ever that means applied to a Ford Truck.
The truth is truck marketing from everyone is normally pretty use less and pointless be it a truck driving up flaming ramps to now where or towing a Space Shuttle.
The dropping of the bricks was dramatic but the tool box really showed how an every day event could do some real damage. Dents and rust are one thing but holes from the day you buy it are something else.
Not everyone use bed liners as I hate crap sliding all over. Rust is normally not an issue for rust through till you hit about 12 years in the worst wet climates. I am not sure how a spray on bed liner would work here but I would assume they would still break the aluminum.
The composites were a good idea but they had quality issues with them and discontinued them. I am sure they could make a go of it again as they have improved the plastics of today.
My feeling is that this shows what I have been saying is coming in the next truck where it will be assembled much like a CT6 where it will use a mix of materials in the right places. Aluminum in the cab and Steel in the bed.
They now can weld the two and use it to make for much lighter but yet as strong where it counts.
GM has a really good spot here and really needs to market this and the ability to use the best materials in the right places.
The path to making future vehicles will be in the details of engineering to make them lighter but as stronger no matter what the vehicle. Weight loss is the new HP war as we will see HP go more stable but the cars will go into a phase of weight loss.
GM has shown with the Camaro, Cruze, Malibu and CT6 how they have learned to engineer out weight. This demo shows how to do it the right way.
Smart engineering is why GM is only a little heavier than the Aluminum Ford and they have not yet gone to radical changes yet. We should see some real changes. Just look to all the new SUV/CUV models showing 300 pound losses. 300 pounds is a lot. Even the vehicles that have grown in size like the CT6 are lighter than the smaller CTS.
Bread truck? Nice heavy duty example.
Great commercial! It is all over Facebook and I saw it on the History channel. Bedliners are old news now. Most truck beds are coated now with different applications to help protect them. I really was surprised that an empty tool box would do that much damage to the bed.
Lets wait until indapendant testing is done.
there have been a few aluminum bodies around for years with little or no problem. The english have a 4×4 that has been around the world more than once with little problem. Bread trucks, ups ect have been using aluminum for years. The Z06 corvette uses water bent aluminum frame with no problems. I know i own a 2015 Z06 with over 18,000 miles on it. I wouldnt knock ford just yet. I would rather own a ford picup than a chevy anyday. I was loaned a 15 chevy picup and it was the worst one i ever drove. I have owened or driven ford, chevy, gmc, jeep and dodge trucks. Jeep first ford second chevy, never again. I would like to see an indopendent test of these 2 trucks. I dont trust gm or chevy even though my vette is the best vehicle ive ever owned but service, knowlege from chevy dealerships has me turned completly off any other gm chevy product, dodge is in there too.
Doug fehan and corvette racing and my Z06 is why the C6 And C7 are the best vehicle on the market today. It is corvette racing, doug fehan, drivers and crews that have made corvette so good not gm or chevy dealerships. They tell you they are experts but know nothing about corvette, the product or the servicing. They lie, cheat and steal. From me anyway.
Back to aluminum, my aluminum frame is safe, strong and will not rust, ever along with carbon fiber, titanium and the new plastics, the C7 is the best vehicle in the world.
Im available for a commercial for corvette racing, corvette, mobil one and michlen products. My chevy dealership not only cheated me out of mobil one but 2 quarts of oil on my first oil change. I found out immediatly and made them put mobil1 in. Chevy said i would have to pay extra because corvette engines dont use mobil1. Just one of my chevy dealerships experts and their lies. I was told if my engine had trouble and broke down my warrante would not be good because i wanted mobil1 put in. Putses. Liers. Far from exprts for sure. They lied about my valet too. I was told it had valet which everythin i read and saw included the pdr, NOT. I have the only Z06 without the pdr camera. Now i find it cant be put in, LIARS.
Its depressin. Its a good thing i had a C6 andthe new corvettes ride and drive so good. I drove over 8,000 miles first three weeks in nov and only stopped for gas, coffee, water for cat. I never tired or hurt anymore than usual and actually at times hurt less than usual. I have had 7 back, neck arm surgeries for nerve damage. Va drs tell me i have double whammy because of nerve damage from combat injuries and from agent orange and WILL be in a wheelchair so my Z06 keeps me alive and going espcially in track mode, sport too.
Sorry got carried away. Aluminum is best.
Howard this only about truck beds not frames. Not bodies. And not anything else.
Dropping a hand held tool box is very eye opening as to the major issue here.
Truck owners can live with dings and scratches but holes no way.
A dirt bike falling over in the bed an out a hole in here.
And no emery one does not like bed liners.
Ford has not responded and I expect they will not as this is a PR nightmare.
Such a simple common test anyone could do damaging a truck bed to where it cracks or splits with a simple tool box is not going to be easy to counter.
Now if this had been some kind of odd or rare thing or something taken out of context then Ford could easily pass it off but there is no way to counter this as it is so simple it could not be rigged.
The blocks are one thing but the tool box is something that many of us all have done.
I do not think the spray in bed liner will protect it as it rely s on the metal for support and only covers and protects the metal. there is no structure to it.
OMG.. Ford says that their trucks are made with military grade aluminum and dropping a tool box into the back of the truck’s bed could cause it to tear a hole says Ford needs to use a higher gauge of aluminum; it makes you wonder how Ford can respond especially when this is something that happens every day at a construction site.
If you use your pick up truck as a dump truck it doesn’t matter what the bed is made of. Most tradesmen have a 3/4 plywood sheet on their bed floor. My last three Chevy pick ups were sold because the box and tailgate rusted out. It takes a big commitment to convert to Aluminum. GM’s matrix management stumbles when it comes to making big decisions that’s why they play follow the leader. Cadillac follows BMW and Mercedes. Chevrolet follows Toyota. Chevy and GMC truck follow Ford. Buick follows Audi and Lexus. I’ll bet we will see next GM pick up with all the hang on metal made of aluminum while the cab and box remains in steel
The bigger issue isn’t that the GM trucks are steel and the Ford truck is aluminum – it’s the gauge of the material.
Chevy’s steel box floor is 1.08mm, while the Ford’s is only 1.29mm. However, to have an aluminum floor with the same stiffness as the 1.08mm steel floor – it would need to be about 1.5mm thick.
Granted, stiffness is not really related to puncture resistance – as that is a different force, but the overall theme likely still applies – the Ford’s bed is too thin for the application.
-dutyThe rigged part comes from dropping concrete cubes like one would load mulch, sand, or dirt. These had sharp corners to purposely dig into the aluminum. That said, Ford should have advertised this aluminum project for light duty use, IMHO.