DEARBORN, Mich. — It’s Ford Motor Co.’s biggest bet in decades: an aluminum-sided F-150 that could set a new industry standard — or cost the company its pickup truck crown.

Ford was scheduled to start production of the 2015 F-150 Tuesday at its Dearborn Truck Plant, four miles from the company’s headquarters.

It will arrive at U.S. dealerships next month.

Ford thinks a truck that is lighter and more fuel-efficient, but even more capable, will win buyers while competing trucks, still made of steel, struggle to catch up.