General Motors Co. plans to secure aluminium for their trucks

General Motors Co. is making efforts to come up with a largely aluminum-bodied pickup truck by the end of 2018, under the pressure from federal fuel efficiency standards & archrival Ford Motor Co.

The No. 1 U.S. auto maker signed a supply contract with Novelis Inc., and Alcoa Inc. which are working presently to increase their aluminum sheet production for supplying the next-generation GM pickup, the people said.

The push to develop an "aluminum intensive" large pickup marks an outward change of direction for the company, which has only dealt with lighter and smaller weight steel-bodied trucks.

Before Ford made a debut last month with its 2015 F-150, with an aluminum body, GM executives had questioned if such a vehicle would be appealing and competitive enough in the U.S market.

Instead, GM concentrated on developing two small pickups - GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado, to meet the rising demand for a better fuel economy. These two vehicles are expected to launch in 2015.

It seems now two big names in the market of pickup trucks are competing, but Ford is already five years ahead. GM's new GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado trucks were completely redesigned and were on sale last September.

Before the complete redesigning of GM pickups, the company has already plants of upgrading it within the next two years. It is expected GM will refresh Silverado truck with a 10-speed transmission in the year 2016. All this is done to compete with its rival and lead in the race.