Ford builds Lightweight Concept with Fusion shell [w/video]

Wed, 04 Jun 2014

It's a fairly well known fact that removing weight from a car is essentially a panacea for many of the modern automobiles problems. Does it handle like crap? Remove weight. Underpowered? Don't add power; trim the fat. Need to improve fuel economy? It's diet time.

Actually executing a major weight reduction program, though, much like with human beings, is no easy task. Unlike you or I, where motivation is the issue, the prohibitive measure in trimming a car's waistline is money. Lightweight materials are expensive, with carbon fiber and carbon-fiber reinforced plastic still primarily in the domain of higher end vehicles. Even aluminum construction, pioneered on a mass-produced level by Audi and Jaguar, is only now starting to make its way into the mainstream, thanks to the upcoming Ford F-150.

With this concept, though, Ford is attempting to show that a mass-produced, lightweight vehicle isn't too far off. This is the Lightweight Concept, and while it may look like a Fusion, it weighs as much as a Fiesta. For reference, the lightest Fusion available to the public is the 3,323-pound, 2.5-liter model with a manual transmission. A manually equipped, 1.6-liter Fiesta, meanwhile, is just 2,537 pounds.

The nearly 25 percent weight reduction is thanks to the intensive use of aluminum, not to mention large dollops of high-strength steel, carbon fiber and chemically laminated glass.The Fiesta's three-cylinder EcoBoost engine, tiny tires and lightweight wheels round out the package.

We wouldn't count on picking a 2,500-pound Fusion up from you local dealer in the near future, though.

"Our goal was to investigate how to design and build a mixed-materials, lightweight vehicle that could potentially be produced in high volume, while providing the same level of safety, durability and toughness as our vehicles on the road today," Matt Zaluzec, Ford's technical leader for global materials and manufacturing research, said in a statement. "There's not a one-size-fits-all approach to light-weighting. The Lightweight Concept gives us the platform to continue to explore the right mix of materials and applications for future vehicles."

Here's hoping some of these lightweight measures make to market in a wider form sooner rather than later. Maybe one day we'll even get a lightweight Mustang. Take a look below for the official press release from Ford.

FORD BUILDS ON ADVANCED MATERIALS USE IN ALL-NEW F-150 WITH LIGHTWEIGHT CONCEPT CAR

Ford Lightweight Concept vehicle represents Ford's ongoing research for future light-weighting and advanced materials applications, building on the all-new Ford F-150, which sheds up to 700 pounds through use of high-strength steel and aluminum alloys

Light-weighting is a key component in Ford's Blueprint for Sustainability; mixed-materials research vehicle explores how advanced materials might be applied for future high-volume vehicle production for better performance and gas mileage, and carbon dioxide emission reduction

Ford Lightweight Concept reduces the weight of a 2013 Fusion to that of a Ford Fiesta, resulting in a nearly 25 percent weight reduction

Mixed-materials research vehicle developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Program, together with Cosma International – a subsidiary of Magna International

Ford Motor Company today unveiled its Lightweight Concept vehicle, which uses advanced materials to explore future weight-reduction solutions that could improve performance and fuel efficiency while reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

The vehicle represents the latest phase of Ford's research into developing sustainable technology solutions that are affordable for consumers and can be produced in large volumes across the product lineup. This research has also led to dramatic weight reductions of up to 700 pounds in the all-new F-150. The 2015 F-150 sheds weight through the use of high-strength steel and aluminum, enabling it to tow more, haul more, accelerate quicker and stop shorter – all with improved gas mileage.

"Consumers today want better fuel efficiency, but they also want more technology and features in the car, which usually adds weight to the vehicle," said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. "A focus on light-weighting will be fundamental to our industry for years to come, and we are investigating many advanced materials applications as possible solutions for weight reduction in our vehicles."

Light-weighting is a key component in Ford's Blueprint for Sustainability, which integrates sustainability into the business plan for the long-term preservation and enhancement of environmental, social and financial capital. The introduction and incorporation of lightweight materials into vehicle construction helps meet the goal of reducing weight to achieve better fuel economy for consumers while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Ford's research into improved efficiency through weight reduction with advanced materials including new metals, alloys and composites began more than 25 years ago. This research produced the breakthrough Aluminum Intensive Vehicle program in 1992 and all-aluminum high-performance Ford GT in 2005.

Along with other fuel-efficiency technologies, light-weighting is fundamental to Ford's efforts to stabilize carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere at 450 parts per million – the level many scientists, businesses and governmental agencies believe may avoid the most serious effects of climate change.

Holistic approach to light-weighting
As consumer electronics like cellphones and tablets become more lightweight, so does the ultimate mobile device – the vehicle. Ford's Lightweight Concept uses many of the same advanced materials found in today's lightweight electronic devices, including aluminum, chemically toughened glass and advanced lightweight plastics.

Ford engineers took a holistic approach to weight reduction by incorporating advanced materials into the entire design of the vehicle, including powertrain, chassis, body, battery and interior features such as seats. This Lightweight Concept vehicle represents its most comprehensive blend of advanced materials yet in one vehicle, including strategic application of aluminum, ultra-high-strength steels, magnesium and carbon fiber.

The research vehicle was developed with the U.S. Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Program, together with Cosma International – a subsidiary of Magna International – to illustrate long-term potential light-weighting solutions. Magna's design and development of the multi-material body-in-white, closures and chassis components are a significant contribution in light-weighting the concept vehicle.

"Our goal was to investigate how to design and build a mixed-materials, lightweight vehicle that could potentially be produced in high volume, while providing the same level of safety, durability and toughness as our vehicles on the road today," said Matt Zaluzec, Ford technical leader, Global Materials and Manufacturing Research. "There's not a one-size-fits-all approach to light-weighting. The Lightweight Concept gives us the platform to continue to explore the right mix of materials and applications for future vehicles."

Other industries have incorporated lighter-weight advanced materials to achieve greater fuel economy, speed and performance. Aviation and aerospace industries – commercial and military – make extensive use of composites structures and mixed materials, including aluminum and carbon fiber, to reduce weight and maximize fuel efficiency. The rail industry makes extensive use of lightweight materials to reduce weight in high-speed and bullet trains. The heavy truck transportation industry uses lightweight materials including aluminum and high-strength steel to improve fuel efficiency.

By Brandon Turkus