Lucas Bell 
When the Ford F-150 ditched steel construction in favor of aluminum panels for the 2015 model year, there was a lot of hesitation from the buying public. People weren’t initially sold on the idea of a pickup truck being made from “beer cans”, nor did they want to deal with the higher repair costs associated with the new metallurgy. And while most of the concerns related to the aluminum body panels have since been alleviated with the passing of time, Ford hasn’t found a solution for every customer complaint. Namely, aluminum body panels don’t allow owners to stick magnetic signs or advertisements on their pickup trucks. At least this has been the case, though new spy photos of a 2021 Ford F-150 posted by AutoBlog suggest the automaker may be working on the solution: magnetic paint.
The spy photos uploaded by Autoblog feature a brand new 2021 Ford F-150 King Ranch driving around with several signs attached to the bodywork. Rumors have been circulating which suggest that the Blue Oval is trying to finally remedy the signage issue, both for commercial and personal applications. While it is entirely possible that these bits of vinyl are stuck to the pickup truck via some sort of adhesive, magnetic paint or primer isn’t out of the question either. This type of paint-based magnetism has been available in wall paint for sometime, though not in the automotive industry.
When the decision was made in Dearborn to turn the Ford F-150 into an aluminum bodied machine, we aren’t sure that exterior signage was one of the company’s main concerns. It’s rather likely that things like weight savings and potential fuel economy savings were more front of mind during those meetings. That said, it is nice to see the automaker address customer complaints with the current 2021 Ford F-150 model. At least that’s what we think is happening here. Would you like to see a new Ford F-150 offered with a magnetic paint option, or would you rather just stick to vinyl signage? Let us know in the comments down below.
