In the video above, Warren Parsons, global chief architect of body structures at General Motors, walks around a naked Chevy Corvette to explain what measures were taken in the development of the car to keep it lightweight, structurally rigid, and still affordable.
As the performance and fuel economy wars heat up, General Motors has more techniques that it’s currently using – as well as some tricks up its sleeves for the future – in an effort to make stronger, lighter vehicles. GM believes the key for making cars that perform well and achieve good fuel economy is using a combination of materials including low and high strength steel, aluminum, carbon fiber, and even magnesium.
The result is lighter vehicles that maintain the rigidity of the vehicles of yore, if not improve upon it. The company touts itself as a leader in the arena of lightweight materials and recently held an event to showcase the technologies it is currently using and what it has in store for the future.
While Ford switched to building the F-150 body out of aluminum a couple of years ago, GM is not yet convinced this is the route to go. See this recent ad campaign which pits the Silverado’s roll-formed steel bed against the F-150’s aluminum bed. GM has opted to go forward with what it believes is the best combination of materials in each its new vehicles, depending on the application. The all-new 2017 Malibu, for example, uses a combination of six types of low- and high-strength steel, while the Cadillac CT6 uses steel, aluminum, magnesium, and plastic, to name a few.
To expand the use of mixed materials, GM has developed techniques for spot welding aluminum to steel and aluminum to aluminum to reduce the use of rivets. Steel to aluminum spot welding is something that was previously not possible due to the 900-degree Celsius difference between the melting points of the two metals. The company also plans to offer carbon-composite wheels like the ones shown below. Each wheel is 8.8 pounds (4 kg) lighter than an aluminum counterpart, saving roughly 35 pounds of unsprung weight around a vehicle. As GM puts it, “every gram matters.”
