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Ford Motor Company’s beefy F-150 is going on a diet and is looking to shed 700 – 750 pounds by late 2014. That’s quite a weight loss for one of the most popular trucks on the market.

Where is Ford going to cut all of this weight from? Many of the parts will be replaced by super lightweight aluminum such as the doors, fenders, cab, and the tail gate. Also, the chassis is going to be overhauled and redesigned to help with the weight reduction.

A new line of hybrid gasoline-electric engines, known as Nano engines, have been created jointly with Toyota. These new engines will help pass EPA inspections, tougher emissions laws, plus fuel-economy standards. The first engine out of the bunch is a 2.9-liter V6 but likely won’t be available until 2016, that being the earliest.

For the hardcore F-series fan, this could be good as the body is lighter and quicker, but if not, we can hope that both engines will be an option when the time comes. With the F-series trucks (and the SUVs) count for 90% global sales for Ford Motor Company.

The times are a changin’ with these lightweight smaller engines, yet still capable of running with the big dogs with the help of turbo boost. However, we don’t think the traditional motors will go away any time soon. People like the old style engines as well and Ford might be trying to appeal to a larger audience with both as options. You may still get the lightweight body, but hopefully you get to choose which engine goes into your brand new truck.