March 8, 2007 — The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has selected the product engineering and manufacturing team of the Pontiac Solstice for its inaugural Great Designs in Steel Automotive Excellence Award for the innovative and cost-effective use of advanced high-strength steels.

The award recognizes individuals or teams from automaker, supplier and academic ranks who embrace innovation and make significant contributions to the advancement of steel in the automotive marketplace.

"The Pontiac Solstice redefines shape and styling with a crisp, sleek design that offers both outstanding appearance and engineering performance at a reasonable price," said Brian Aranha, Vice President of Dofasco, Inc. and Chairman of AISI's Automotive Applications Committee. "The fact that General Motors Corp. utilized advanced high-strength steels for a stylish, affordable, low-volume vehicle, clearly demonstrates how recent advances in material and processing technology enable steel to offer significant advantages in structural efficiency, quality and cost for new vehicle designs."

Award candidates were limited to presenters from AISI's 2006 Great Designs in Steel Seminar. Candidates were rated in several categories, including implementation in production, overall contribution to the advancement of steel, challenges and benefits associated with cost and weight savings and performance, replacement of competitive material, and structure performance and efficiency. The Pontiac Solstice presentation was given by Warren Parsons and David Friddell of the General Motors Product and Manufacturing Engineering Operations Group.

New advanced high-strength steels offer significant weight savings and improved crash resistance, said AISI. The Solstice uses several new steels and processing technologies—including sheet-hydroforming of outer body panels—to achieve class A surface quality and an eye-catching design at a lower cost than other materials.

The Solstice roadster is the first vehicle to incorporate dual-phase steel into its hydroformed structure. The vehicle's hydroformed tubular rails form the underbody structure, helping to improve the vehicle’s structural performance and stiffness while significantly reducing vehicle weight. The Saturn Sky and Opel GT, which share the underlying structure with the Solstice, also incorporate extensive use of advanced steels in their designs.

AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. AISI is comprised of 32 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and 125 associate and affiliate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry. AISI's member companies represent approximately 75 percent of both U.S. and North American steel capacity.

The Automotive Applications Committee (AAC), a subcommittee of AISI’s Market Development Committee of AISI, focuses on advancing the use of steel in the highly competitive automotive market. With offices and staff located in Detroit, cooperation between the automobile and steel industries has been key to its success. This industry cooperation resulted in the formation of the Auto/Steel Partnership, a consortium of DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors and the member companies of the AAC — AK Steel, Dofasco, Mittal Steel USA, Nucor, Severstal North America, and United States Steel.

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