A report in Automotive News reveals a lofty goal for Mazda: reduce the
weight of new-generation cars by 220 pounds compared to the outgoing model. This
is part of the automaker’s plan to reach another lofty goal, namely achieving a
30-percent improvement in its global corporate fuel-economy average by 2015.
Both fit under the company’s long-term Sustainable Zoom-Zoom banner and fit into
its internal Building Block Strategy designed to optimize all aspects of vehicle
design while integrating evolving technologies such as hybrids and electric
vehicles.
Although 220 pounds—which equals a nice, round 100 kilograms—seems an almost
arbitrary figure, Dave Coleman, vehicle development engineer for Mazda’s North
American operations, tells us that the actual amount of weight reduction per
vehicle will vary, but the figure represents a “high-level goal.” He adds that
the figure only applies to all-new models, not midcycle refreshes.
Using the
recently redesigned Mazda CX-5 to illustrate, Coleman pointed out how replacing
a formerly difficult-to-weld assembly with a welding/bonding adhesive process
allowed engineers to spread the load throughout the body, reducing the amount of
material needed without compromising the structural integrity.
So far, the plan doesn’t include the extensive use of aluminum, carbon fiber,
or other exotic materials: “We think there is still room for improvement by
using high-tensile steel and intelligent design to optimize the structure,” said
Coleman. Of course, a 220-pound reduction will affect a Miata and a CX-9
differently, not to mention the fact that this kind of weight loss, no matter
how much we’d like it to, can’t last for too many generations. Otherwise, the
cars would eventually be weightless, and then where would we be?
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