Chevrolet has said its latest advertising and marketing initiative is “not a war on aluminum” and not an attack on Ford. Say what they will, but competitors have taken notice.
While Ford has not countered the research-based advertising, showing how the 2016 Silverado’s roll-formed, high-strength steel bed absorbs impacts and damage much better than the Ford F-150’s aluminum bed, Honda has jumped in on the action.
Honda has recently introduced its all-new, 2017 Ridgeline, which aims at the hot midsize pickup segment. No, it’s not a “real” pickup truck, but the Ridgeline has always found an odd niche among buyers.
The automaker took to YouTube for an official video mocking up the Chevrolet cinderblock test, dropping over 800-pounds of blocks into the Ridgeline’s composite bed.
And, as the results show, it took the impact well. Scuffs and scratches are present, but punctures and holes are not.
How does that old saying go? Competition: it’s good for everyone.
Comments
I think moving forward for Chevy, they should use there multi-material joining/welding technology to make a plied bed. Aluminum bed with a steel liner. Or make sprayed beds standard with a full aluminum box
They will use more aluminum but they will retain the steel in the bed with a spray in liner option as we have today. They can weld in supports and other parts that can be aluminum but not in touch with the cargo for damage.
Note a spray in liner will not stop dents or holes in Aluminum it just prevents damaging the surface.
I’d still rather have a composite bed. At least as an option. The steel bed Chevrolet obviously took more floor abuse than the aluminum Ford bed but there were still dents and lots of them. There aren’t any dents in that Ridgeline bed and it won’t rust. Those early 2k Chevy trucks that had optional composite beds are still looking good after all these years.
Scott, what are Ford’s sales and margins compared to Chevy?
Don’t include GMC. Or Colorado.
F-150 v Silverado? I don’t know the answer, but you seem to know ‘what the reality is’ so often, we’re relying on you to enlighten us – total sales and margins, F-150 v Silverado?
It’s not a leading question – I don’t know the numbers. Thanks – oh, and truck fleet sales – how’s that work? Gov’t? Home Depot? Thanks for your help!
LMAO.. because I see so many Ridgelines on the jobsite.
It’s like an ant saying, ” Hey! I can lift over 10 times my body weight!” Sure, but you’re still an ant.
You guys are way behind on this story.
You need to put up what Forbes put up yesterday. They told of how Chevy started this last wheel and has flooded TV, Web and Movie theaters with the bed damage on the Ford.
Now they also took out major advertising in Detroit and the Detroit Free Press and made sure every Hotel had a copy for each person stay there.
Why?
Well Ford is doing a large program where they bring in fleet buyers for trucks from all over to try to market their trucks and make fleet sales of large number to them. GM has put this front and center to where if you are taking a breath you will know about the damage.
Now fleet buyers are walking into the Ford event with images of beds with holes in them.
Fords response? Well all they could say was that this was a cheap shot and that most people use bed liners?
Not a strong argument and it appears Ford got caught out with their pants down.
Who ever was behind this at Chevy needs to be promoted and rewarded as they have countered a very effective Ford Marketing program that has marketed Aluminum like it is the end all be all material. The best part is they did it with a demo that anyone can reproduce in their driveway as we all have tool box like the one they used to make the hole.
Please check out the Forbes story GM Auth and as Paul Harvey said “And Now the Rest of the Story”
Is there any better reason NOT to buy a Honda ridgeline than an ad like this?
Its so, “mee too! meeee toooo!!! come on big brother, me too! I want to be like you! why didn’t you include me!”
It wreaks so heavily of desperation, my original view of the ridgeline being “great for what it is” turned into a “I don’t want another me too truck- if your not trying to compete with them, don’t try to compete with them!!!!”
And you are a bullshit!
It’s not “me too, me too”; it’s “I’m better at this”. Take it like this: if a fringe player like Honda can make a bed on a midsize that performs much, much better than Ford and Chevy’s full size bed, Ford and Chevy need to up their game. I mean, what are pickups? They are towing and hauling, hitches and beds! Honda’s not trying to make a jobsite truck, obviously. But their SUV with a bed does outperform the domestics in some regards, this being one of them. And it proves that it’s a good truck for non-contractors.
Not a “real” truck? Because we are supposed to settle for 100 year old (body on frame) technology? Because it does what 95% of truck buyers need rather than blow it’s wad touting a towing capacity that the vast majority of people will never use? Because it is available in front wheel drive which will again work fine for 95% of people out there. Yeah, I won’t be towing a motor home or yacht. But, in reality, neither will most of you. If I wanted to get into a pissing contest about stuff I don’t need and put truck nutz on my hitch I’d buy a Colorado or Canyon. Instead, I want what every single review has said is by far the smoothest driving most comfortable midsize truck out there that can take me, my dogs, and my kids camping and fishing pretty much anywhere I need to go, hold all my gear and get (slightly) better mileage than the other guys. If you need a big truck, don’t buy it. It certainly isn’t for everyone but don’t say it’s not a truck.
How about a Chevy Traverse based pickup to rival the Honda Ridgeline? Complete with a composit bed with storage space underneath. It would be kind of like a modern day Elcamino. As a matter of fact call it the Elcamino. The deminsions are about the same as the Ridgline just make it do every things theirs do only better. Honda found a market for this type of vehicle. Why not Chevy? This would be a great way to expand upon the Slogan FIND NEW ROADS.
I’ve seen the Ford vs. Chevy video a couple of times, and what I like about this one is that it doesn’t bring in the other competitor’s truck. Instead, Honda shows what their model can handle, and what it looks like. Thanks for sharing.