British luxury carmaker Jaguar recently put a 2.0-liter gasoline engine into its flagship XJ limousine. Despite the smaller engine, the car’s agility is not seriously affected thanks to its all-aluminum body.
In recent years, carmakers have been devoting considerable resources to developing lightweight vehicles. Reducing a car’s weight by 10 percent can improve fuel economy by 6-8 percent, industry watchers say.
And one of the key alternative materials is aluminum.
Experts say that aluminum performs as well as steel in accidents and absorbs twice the crash energy of traditional steel. The material also has advantages when it comes to corrosion, handling and braking.
Car manufacturers, in the course of downsizing their cars, have switched from steel to aluminum for wheels, hoods, transmission cases, heat exchangers like radiators, and other components.
More recently, some luxury brands like Jaguar and Audi have been adopting aluminum for the basic shell and skeleton of their high-end models.
Korea’s Hyundai, having strived to appeal to more premium customers, is also increasing the use of aluminum for its luxury sedans, the Equus and the Genesis. But an “all-aluminum Genesis” still seems far from reality.
“Marketability may be the biggest issue,” said an industry source, declining to be named. “Compared to steel, aluminum is three times more expensive. They may continue to gauge the right price for Hyundai’s luxury car.”
Another obstacle, the source said, is Hyundai’s affiliate and Korea’s second-largest steel maker, Hyundai Steel, for whom 30 percent of sales come from transactions with the carmaker.
“Global carmakers are pouring resources into lightweight auto platforms. But Hyundai seems more focused on steel rather than alternatives such as aluminum,” he said.
In April, Hyundai announced a 1.12 trillion won ($1 billion) investment plan to develop specialty steel and high-quality iron at the steel maker’s Dangjin plant in South Chungcheong Province.
By Lee Ji-yoon (
jylee@heraldcorp.com)
