PSA working with aluminium for weight reduction of core models
Development partnerships with material suppliers will deliver new grades at lower cost
- Published in News.
Seeing the light: Aluminium must become cheaper before PSA can make it mainstream
PSA will increase the use of aluminium in its vehicle range by 2020 as it seeks to reduce weight and improve powertrain fuel efficiency.
The OEM is working on a five-year plan to develop new grades of aluminium, while seeking to use the material more widely in its vehicle development by 2020.
PSA already uses the material in the Peugeot RCZ coupe to form the vehicle’s hood and roof arches, while the D-segment Peugeot 508 sedan has an aluminium bonnet hood as well.
But the OEM is working with suppliers to develop new grades of aluminium that can be used in series production vehicles across its range. Grade 6061 aluminium is widely used in premium vehicles but is currently too costly for mainstream applications.
Marc Duval-Destin, PSA’s director of research and advanced engineering, said: “We are looking at several avenues. We are building our strategy for aluminium, challenging the industry to find good alloy grades to go to mass-market with – we can’t afford the classical grades that are already used in sportscars.”
PSA hopes that the material will not only be used in closures but also in other structural parts. And where the material is used for closures, PSA wants the cost to be as close as possible to that of the raw aluminium.
PSA is integrating its R&D department with those at the aluminium makers to help them develop the technology. “We have to make them understand it is worth investing to develop a less-expensive proposal to bring this to market,” said Duval-Destin.
