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Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #317 LIVE!

We record Autoblog Podcast #317 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #317
Mitsubishi Mirage

How Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra will take on the Ford F-150 profit machine

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — When General Motors engineers were developing the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks, some of them joined public tours of Ford's Dearborn, Mich., factory to watch aluminum-bodied F-Series trucks go down the assembly line. The redesign of the Ford F-Series trucks, launched in 2014, set a new standard for fuel economy and lightweight vehicle construction. But armed with stopwatches and trained eyes, the GM engineers believed they saw problems. "They had a real hard time getting those doors to fit," Tim Herrick, the executive chief engineer for GM truck programs, told Reuters. His team did more intelligence gathering. They bought and tore apart Ford F-Series doors sold as repair parts. Their conclusion: GM could cut weight in its trucks for a lower cost using doors made of a combination of aluminum and high-strength steel that could be thinner than standard steel, shaving off kilograms in the process. These pounds-and-pennies decisions will have major implications in the highest-stakes game going in Detroit: dominance in the world's most profitable vehicle market, the gasoline-fueled large pickup segment. What's more, GM is banking on strong sales of overhauled 2019 Silverados and GMC Sierras to fund its push into automated and electric vehicles — a business many investors see as the auto industry's long-term future. The risks are high given the hits automakers have taken from U.S. President Donald Trump's trade policies. Rising aluminum prices spurred by Trump's tariffs are driving up costs on the Ford's F-Series, while rising steel and aluminum prices likewise drag on GM results. GM also has a significant risk should the United States, Mexico and Canada fail to agree on a new NAFTA trade deal, given GM trucks built at its Silao, Mexico, factory could face a 25 percent tariff if NAFTA collapses. Major profit per truck Interviews with GM executives and a tour at its factory here in northwest Indiana provide a detailed look inside GM's plan for the most important vehicles in its global lineup. These big pickups are everything Tesla's Model 3 or Chevy's Bolt electric car is not. The mostly steel body is bolted to the truck's steel frame, rather than the one-piece body and frame electric vehicles. The majority of trucks will have a V-8 gasoline engine powering the rear wheels — like the classic GM cars of the 1950s. Some Silverados will have new four-cylinder engines, but there is no electric or hybrid offering as of now.

How did Ford keep the GT a secret before Detroit?

True secrecy is a rarity in the automotive industry. Sure, companies try to keep their future projects under wraps all of the time, but usually a spy shot or blurry development photo leaks out. The complete lack of any hard details before its unveiling likely helped make the Ford GT one of the biggest stars of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Not only was it the favorite of Autoblog's editors, but the supercar scored a prestigious EyesOn Design Award, too. Rumors about the vehicle had circulated for weeks before the show, but no one really knew much about the GT until it rolled onto the stage for Ford's press conference in Joe Louis Arena. Amazingly, the Blue Oval kept things mostly a secret during the car's 14- month gestation period prior to its debut. According to Automotive News, the GT project began in late 2013 by a skunk works team, including six designers, that guided the supercar along from birth until the unveiling. Ford kept things clandestine by locking the vehicle in a basement storage room, and only the group members got a key to the lock. Much of the development was also done at night to further keep the secret, but occasionally the prototype was hauled outside on weekends to check it out in natural light. Because of the speed in getting the development done and for even more stealth, the designers didn't get input from the Blue Oval's other styling teams around the world. But that was somewhat of a double-edged sword. "You don't actually get to bounce opinions off people," Ford design boss Moray Callum said to Automotive News. "We were on tenterhooks ourselves until the first people saw it." Even now, there are still mysteries surrounding the GT. There's still no official word on the supercar's power; just that it's over 600 horsepower. There are also the persistent rumors going back months that the Blue Oval plans to take the GT racing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of automaker's Le Mans victory. Although, maybe this time the secrecy wasn't so good because we might have got a glimpse of the racer, recently. Related Video: