Automotive Lightweighting

News items about the continual development of advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) and other materials for use in the development of lighter vehicles with better fuel efficiency without compromising safety.

Latest News

Partnership Reaches New Milestone in Work on Third-Generation AHSS

06 January 2017 - A research team developing third-generation, advanced high-strength steels said it has taken a significant step forward, producing sample casts of two alloys whose properties almost meet government targets for strength and formability.

ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks Expanding U.S. Footprint

22 November 2016 - ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks is investing US$83.5 million to open a facility in Michigan, its third in the United States, according to reports.

ArcelorMittal Rolls Out New Automotive Steels

08 November 2016 - ArcelorMittal is expanding its catalog of advanced automotive steels, with some already being offered up for OEM qualification, the company said on Tuesday.

AK Steel Fires Up Modified Hot-Dipped Galvanizing Line

26 October 2016 - AK Steel Corp. has completed a US$29 million upgrade to the hot-dipped galvanizing line at its Dearborn works in Michigan, executives have announced.

JFE Steel, thyssenkrupp to License Each Other's Sheet-Forming Technology

25 August 2016 - Japan’s JFE Steel Corp. and thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG have signed an agreement to cross-license each other’s flangeless automotive sheet-forming technologies, the steelmakers have announced.

AK Steel Begins Marketing New High-Strength Auto Steels

22 August 2016 - AK Steel Corp. is launching a new line of high-strength, lightweight steels intended to help automakers reduce the weight of their vehicles, the Ohio-based steelmaker announced on Monday.

There's More to Be Done on Meeting Fuel-Efficicency Standards, and Steel Still Has a Role to Play, Government Report Says

20 July 2016 - A new government report estimates that the U.S. vehicle fleet will average between 50 and 52.6 mpg in model year 2025, short of the goal laid out by the Obama administration in 2012. Nevertheless, automakers have made strides in improving fuel efficiency and can do even better.

Japanese Steelmaker Says It Has Created a New Steel That's 25% Stronger

07 July 2016 - Japan’s Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. says it has developed an automotive sheet steel with a tensile strength of 1,470 megapascals, stronger than any similar product on the market at present, reports the Nikkei Asian Review magazine.

GM Ready to Deploy Steel-to-Aluminum Welding Technology

10 June 2016 - General Motors said it will begin using a new process to spot weld steel to aluminum on production of the Cadillac CT6 later this year.

ArcelorMittal Prepares to Launch New High-Strength Auto Steel

06 June 2016 - ArcelorMittal is preparing to roll out a new high-strength automotive steel later this year, reports the (London) Financial Times.

Automaker Picks ArcelorMittal for New Supplier Program

27 May 2016 - A German automaker has chosen ArcelorMittal to participate in a new vehicle-development program designed to quicken innovation and to help it meet the needs of a global market.

Automaker, Supplier Honored for AHSS-Based Rear Frame That Sheds Weight, But Not Safety

11 May 2016 - The Steel Market Development Institute has recognized Honda’s North American research and development unit and automotive parts manufacturer Gestamp for their work on a project incorporating advanced, high-strength steel into hot-stamped rear frames for the Honda Civic.

Stolen Data Helped Chinese Producer Quickly Commercialize Ultra High-Strength Steel, Alleges U. S. Steel

28 April 2016 - China broke into U. S. Steel's computer network and stole production research on its advanced steels, allowing at least one overseas producer to side-step years of work and quickly roll out ultra high-strength grades, U. S. Steel alleges in its Section 337 complaint before the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Steel Developer Enters the AHSS Ring

21 April 2016 - An advanced materials company has delivered its first advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) to General Motors for initial testing, the company has announced.

ArcelorMittal Unveils Belgian Plant Upgrade

21 April 2016 - With the help of Belgian government leaders, ArcelorMittal ceremonially inaugurated a new EUR49 million walking beam furnace at its Gent facility.

ArcelorMittal, voestalpine Teaming Up to Market New Automotive Steel

15 April 2016 - Voestalpine and ArcelorMittal have signed an agreement to jointly market a new line of galvanized press-hardened steels intended for hot-formed automotive components, ArcelorMittal has announced.

POSCO Highlights New Steels at Auto Show

11 January 2016 - South Korea’s POSCO is attending the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mich., USA, where it is unveiling its next-generation twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) steel and showcasing its hot press forming steel, according to BusinessKorea magazine.