NEW APPROACHES TO THE REDUCTION OF WEIGHT AND CONSUMPTION IN MOTOR CARS FROM THE POINT-OF-VIEW OF A SYSTEM SUPPLIER

An optimized utilization of steel makes it possible to reduce the weig ht and fuel consumption of motor cars by 25% or more. This potential i s, however, still far from having been exhausted. Besides, steel offer s further advantages in terms of overall energy balance, material and production costs as well as utilization of existing processing equipme nt. Examples of optimized use of steel for the autobody, drive train, steering mechanism and chassis with the application both of new steel grades and new manufacturing procedures, are discussed. The possibilit ies of a system supplier can be even more efficiently exhausted throug h an early and comprehensive cooperation with the customer. Such a ''s imultaneous engineering'' approach can be applied to the extent desire d at any time during the model design and development phase.