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
Steel, Aluminum Speakers Address Trends in Auto Lightweighting at AWMI Meeting
28 March 2014 - The March meeting of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries (AWMI) Pittsburgh Chapter focused on lightweighting trends in the automotive industry.
ArcelorMittal Invests US$15m in Brazil Automotive Steels
13 March 2014 - ArcelorMittal is investing around US$15 million in the production of advanced high strength steel at its Vega do Sul flat steel rolling mill in the state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil.
Tata Steel Partnership Helps Create Lighter, Stronger, More Efficient Tractors
07 March 2014 - Tata Steel, Europe's second largest steelmaker, has teamed up with JCB Landpower to create the company's most productive tractor yet.
President Obama Announces Two New Public-Private Manufacturing Innovation Institutes
27 February 2014 - President Obama announced new steps to partner with the private sector to boost advanced manufacturing, including lightweighting and modern metals manufacturing.
Report: Consumers View AHSS as Answer to Safety, Performance and Fuel Efficiency
14 January 2014 - At the 2014 North American International Auto Show today the steel industry unveiled conclusive findings from a recent market research study regarding the role of steel in automobiles, revealing an overwhelmingly positive perception of steel across the consumer market.
Advanced Steel Featured On 2014 North American Truck of the Year Winner
13 January 2014 - The Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI) — a business unit of the American Iron and Steel Institute — announced that the 2014 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year (NACTOY) truck award winner again features a significant amount of advanced high-strength steel, which offers significant lightweighting benefits at a lower cost.
SMDI: Lightweight Steel Twist Beam Achieves 30% Mass Reduction
04 December 2013 - Furthering its mission to help automakers meet stringent fuel economy requirements, the Steel Market Development Institute's (SMDI) Automotive Applications Council unveiled the results of its lightweight steel twist beam study today.
worldsteel Promotes Green Manufacturing in China
28 November 2013 - On 21 November 2013, the World Steel Association (worldsteel) co-hosted a major one day conference in China on "Green Manufacturing, the Future of Steel and Automotive."
Severstal North America Achieves 42% Weight Reduction in Steel Vehicle Parts
03 October 2013 - Severstal North America (SNA), one of the largest steel producers in the U.S., is helping its automotive customers achieve lighter weight, stronger vehicles using the latest Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) technologies, state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment and new grades of high-strength and high-formability steel, all while keeping costs low.
Kobe Steel to Set Up Company in China to Produce Aluminum Sheet for Automobiles
30 September 2013 - Kobe Steel, Ltd. announces that it will establish a company in the Xiqing Economic-Technological Development Area in Tianjin, China, to produce aluminum sheet for automotive body panels.
New Study Confirms Lightweight Steel Wheels Equivalent in Mass to Aluminum at 40% Cost Savings
09 August 2013 - The Steel Market Development Institute's Wheels Task Force recently unveiled the results of its latest lightweight steel wheel project which developed a stylish new steel wheel design solution that is equivalent in mass to a comparable aluminum wheel, but at a 40% cost saving.
Study: NanoSteel's Sheet Steels Have Potential to Achieve 30% Weight Reduction in Automotive Structures
06 August 2013 - The NanoSteel® Co. announced the results of an automotive light-weighting study conducted by EDAG, Inc. demonstrating the potential for the company’s advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) to enable a 30% reduction of weight in the BIW structure of a mass market sedan.
Study Highlights Need for 'Life Cycle Assessment' Approach to Vehicle-Emissions Regulation
19 July 2013 - A new study commissioned by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) says that with increasing efficiencies of powertrains and fuels that contribute to lower emissions during the driving phase of the car, the use of tailpipe CO2 emissions will become “almost irrelevant in terms of focusing on true carbon profiles” of future vehicles.
Ruukki Helps in Developing Lighter Car
27 June 2013 - Ruukki has been involved the SåNätt research project in Sweden, which was aimed at developing concepts and systems to achieve cost-efficient weight saving of 20–40% in the Volvo V60 passenger car.
ArcelorMittal Unveils New Ultra-Lightweight Car Door Solutions
25 June 2013 - ArcelorMittal unveiled its new, innovative ultra-lightweight car door solutions, demonstrating that a 27% weight and cost saving can be achieved without compromising safety and structural requirements.
Kobe Steel Expanding Aluminum Business
11 June 2013 - Kobe Steel, Ltd. has entered into a technical cooperation agreement with Germany’s Hydro Aluminium Rolled Products GmbH for aluminum sheet used in automotive body panels.
Ruukki Provides Eco-Efficient Metal Components for Biofore Concept Car
04 June 2013 - Ruukki is providing eco-efficient metal components for the Biofore Concept Car being built by UPM and Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.
Steel Industry Unveils Design Tool For Material Comparison In Automotive Applications
03 May 2013 - WorldAutoSteel, along with the Steel Market Development Institute, unveiled a new tool that enables vehicle designers to quickly and accurately evaluate material selection tradeoffs, including mass, cost and GHG emissions, for automotive applications.
Lighter-Weight Steel Use Touted at Auto Show
18 January 2013 - The benefits of lighter-weight, high-strength steel are on full display at the 2013 North American International Auto Show, the Detroit Free Press reports.
