Magna lightweighting to give new Cadillacs performance, fuel economy boost
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
Parts supplier to use carbon fiber, aluminum to cut weight in new vehicles
Magna manufactures the auto industry’s first volume-produced carbon fiber hoods. PHOTO: General Motors
AURORA, Ont.—The brand virtually synonymous with American-made luxury cars is about to get a lightweight boost from parts supplier, Magna International Inc.
Designed to improve fuel economy and emissions as well as enhance performance, several new Cadillac model are getting carbon fiber and aluminum upgrades.
“We’re optimizing components and systems to make them smarter, cleaner, safer, and lighter,” Swamy Kotagiri, Magna’s CTO, said. “Our customers like Cadillac can be assured that Magna will continue to develop and deliver innovative and affordable solutions across the full range of our product portfolio.”
A range of Magna products have either debuted or will soon premiere on a number of new Caddies.
The high performance Cadillac 2016 ATS-V as well as the CTS-V will each be outfitted with a carbon fiber hood. Magna manufacturers the auto industry’s first volume-produced carbon fiber hoods; they are 27 per cent lighter than their aluminum counterparts, and 72 per cent light than steel.
“[The] product is the culmination of years of development at Magna, which has seen the company at the forefront of R&D efforts to enable CF manufacturing at the required volumes,” the Aurora, Ont.-based company said.
Meanwhile, Cadillac’s CT6 will sport aluminum oil pans that were developed jointly with General Motors. The new part is 2.5 to three times lighter than the traditionally steel part. The new luxury sedan will also incorporate 13 high-pressure aluminum die-cast components on the car’s body and chassis.
“These weight-saving components contribute to the overall mass reduction of the CT6, enabling it to be more agile, efficient and lighter than competitive offerings,” the parts supplier said.
