Do pick-ups really need carbon fibre cargo beds?



Most pick-ups bought today, especially those driven around the “smooth surfaces” of Kuala Lumpur, would most likely never be utilised to its full potential unless the occasional flash flood occurs.

Their cargo beds? If you consider loading it up with unassembled Ikea furniture a full utilisation, the answer is another no – they would never be roughed up enough to require it to be made of stronger materials.

The 2018 Chevrolet Silverado Redline Edition

The Americans may use their pick-ups differently. General Motors is reportedly planning to use carbon fibre for their future pick-up’s cargo beds. The exercise will begin with the Chevrolet Silverado, which will house carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastic on its cargo bed.

The application will eventually be spread across its model range once more cost-effective production methods can be figured out. For now, the immensely strong yet lightweight material will only feature in high-end variants of the Silverado as it’s expensive to manufacture in massive volumes, due to its time-consuming production process.

Source: Autonews