A lightweight automobile body concept featuring ultra-large, thin-wall structural magnesium castings

This paper describes a lightweight automobile body concept utilizing a hybrid materials approach with emphasis on a magnesium and aluminum structure to support a high fuel-efficiency vehicle project. This approach resulted in a more than 40% weight reduction over a conventional steel body-in-white while achieving significantly improved structural performance as evaluated through CAE simulations. A business case analysis was conducted and showed promising results. One concept vehicle was built for the purpose of demonstrating concept feasibility.