AHSS Featured on Car of the Year
11/20/2009 - The North American steel industry and AISI’s Steel Market Development Institute are celebrating the selection of the 2010 Ford Fusion and Fusion Hybrid as Motor Trend Car of the Year. The cars employ a number of advanced high-strength steel technologies.
The North American steel industry and AISI’s Steel Market Development Institute are celebrating the selection of the 2010 Ford Fusion and Fusion Hybrid as Motor Trend Car of the Year.
The Fusion and Fusion Hybrid feature a number of advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) technologies, including a lightweight high-strength steel body structure for added side and frontal impact protection; dual-phase high-strength steel rails; side intrusion beams; and tailor-welded B-pillars between the front and rear door frames, which help prevent intrusion into the passenger compartment.
“Lightweight advanced and ultra high-strength steels provide automakers with a cost-effective solution to meet new market demands for safety, fuel economy, and emissions standards,” said Ron Krupitzer, Vice President of Automotive Applications for AISI’s Steel Market Development Institute. “Ford’s use of new high-strength steels in the Fusion has resulted in a vehicle that is stylish, safe, and efficient.”
The Motor Trend Car of the Year award recognizes a vehicle that has been newly introduced or substantially redesigned for the 2010 model year. Candidates are evaluated by the magazine’s editors on six different criteria, including design, engineering, efficiency, safety, value, and how well the vehicle fulfills its intended function.
The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and through its business unit, Steel Market Development Institute, conducts research with its member companies in partnership with its customers to advance the use of steel in the marketplace. The Automotive Applications Council is a part of AISI's Steel Market Development Institute. The council focuses on advancing the use of steel in the highly competitive automotive market.
The Automotive Applications Committee comprises the following member companies:
- ArcelorMittal Dofasco
- ArcelorMittal USA
- Nucor Corp.
- Severstal North America, Inc.
- United States Steel Corp.
