For carmakers, fuel economy targets may be within reach

New York

WHEN David Key drove his new mostly aluminium-body Ford F-150 pickup home this year, he knew he had made the right choice.

Mr Key, of Holly Springs, North Carolina, outside Raleigh, previously owned a 2007 version of the truck with a beast of an engine - a 5.4-litre V8 - that gave him all the power he craved. But the new F-150 featured a much smaller, 3.5-litre V6, as well as a body made largely from aluminium instead of steel. He was intrigued, but a little nervous.