The following statement can be attributed to Buddy Stemple, Chair of the Aluminum Association, Inc’s Auto & Light Truck Group (ALTG):

We applaud General Motors for the announcement this week that the company will use aluminum wheels, blocks and cylinders to reduce vehicle weight, in concert with other improvements, to boost the fuel economy and reduce the emissions in its full size SUVs and pickup trucks. Importantly, GM used this lightweighting strategy to maintain the size of its Silverado, Sierra, Tahoe and Yukon while also ensuring they continued to deliver the same towing capacity of earlier models.

GM’s announcement is in keeping with previous strategic uses of aluminum by the automaker, including opting for aluminum hood, tailgate, drive shafts and bumper structure of the 2008 Tahoe Hybrid. With help from aluminum, this full-size SUV is estimated to consume about 25% less gasoline on average than a conventional Tahoe.

As all automakers look to meet increasing consumer and regulatory demands for better fuel economy, mass reduction must be part of the equation – powertrain advances alone won’t get the job done. Aluminum is a proven option to down weight vehicles for improved fuel economy and reduced emissions, without having to downsize the vehicles. When you consider the higher upfront costs of hybrid technologies to consumers, here too aluminum offers cost-effective solutions since a hybrid powertrain matched with a low weight, high strength aluminum body structure will deliver even better fuel economy than a heavier, steel hybrid and pay consumers back faster at the pump.

‘Smart weighting’ with aluminum is a timely and proven solution to help automakers design next-generation vehicles that will conserve fuel and produce fewer emissions.