Mercedes will loose some weight

You mean **LOSE** some weight. Cool this will rid the cars of those extra fractions of a second but still make a worthy difference, especially when competing.

The NSX is one of those great Japanese icons. Back in 1990 it was way ahead of its time and it was brilliant to drive. The design was rubbish bot inside and out though, that and the price were one of the key reasons it was a complete flop.

Mind you, Audi pioneered with all-aluminium spaceframe (ok, the NSX had a monocoque but it's not the same) on luxury vehicles and were the first to fit it on other models like the (world's first) volume A2.

...and Ford used aluminum in the Tri-Motor airplane in the 1940's. Why the big deal about "who's first"?

"Being the first" should not be confused with being the most successful, which is all that these companies care about. Nobody cares who's first to try something. Material selection is not the only factor that influences the vehicle's price, quality, and performance, which are what most buyers consider. It's a tradeoff. Not everyone WANTS to have the properties of aluminum (or carbon fiber, titanium, and berylium) -- equivalent structures in steel might give you when you want 80+% of material properties at less than 50% of the cost of the latest lightweight materials.

The NSX was a technical success AND a sales success initially, until the market dried up in the mid-1990's and Honda stopped further development of it. Audi and other European manufacturers will be successful because of significant knowledge of aluminum manufacturing, and the strong demand for lighter vehicles due to high fuel costs.

The USA, as usual, will appear to lag behind the cars from Europe and Japan -- this is not because US manufacturers can't do the job, it's because steel is so inexpensive and the fuel cost low enough (as well as lack of adequate fuel economy regulation) that the big 3 would have absolutely no practical advantage in going to a costlier chassis material. The general public couldn't tell you what their vehicle is made of anyway.

"It is likely that the new SLC to get the most powerful AMG engine from the next SL, codenamed R231. The new engine’s power will probably be over 700 bhp."

I really feel bad for the R8. 420hp or even 500hp compared to 700?????

Keep in mind that the Audi and Jaguar methods, whilst they do both use aluminium, are really nothing alike. The Audi is a space frame technology which is more akin to a traditional structure in that panels are really hung from it.

The Jaguar technology uses a monocoque body. meaning the exterior itself bears loads because it is actually part of the structure itself. This is one of the reasons that the new Jags are so torsionally stiff. The techology that they use is actually a synthesis of monocoque techology and airplane manufacturing methods. Jags are riveted and glued together like an airplane- welding is not the primary method of integration.

The problem with Jaguars methods is that because it is monocoque it is very expensive to develope new products- you cannot just hang modified panels onto it.

Interesting to Know that the Jaguar frame is stiffer than the Audi space frame. Is the Jag frame more advanced?

Jagxpert:

Thanks for the information. Very interesting.

I think this is a revert to Mercedes sports cars of yore not some new idea of theirs. Remember the SL Gullwing anyone? Aluminum trunk, doors, hood... ect. Space frame (thought made out of steel) kept the car both light and luxurious.

Airplanes have been using aluminum for decades.

Cars are way behind.

All cars will be mostly aluminum in the very near future and all airplanes will be carbon fibre. I wish I could remember the figure but the earth's crust is composed of quite a high percentage of aluminum so there is no danger of running out of raw material for aluminum production. Steel should be reserved for bridges and rebar for concrete structures.

Aluminum is produced from borax -- no shortage of it on the planet. However, the energy required to refine it is many times that of steel. Carbon fiber is the best engineered material for most applications, as long as we recycle it. Costs on carbon fiber unfortunately remain relatively high not because it is a difficult raw material to produce, but because it does not lend itself to high-speed brainless manufacturing.

Sie sollten draußen genommen und für diese Bemerkung geprügelt werden.

moto, the reason I prefer aluminum to steel is that steel rusts and the steel industry has failed to develop cost-effective automotive steel alloy sheet metal that is inherently rust-resistant. The Ford Trimotor used aluminum because low weight is important for aircraft. The relatively thin skin on the Trimotor was corrugated for structural strength. Unfortunately, a corrugated car body would look too ugly in the eyes of the car buyer. Several cars such as the Audi A8 already use aluminum and I suspected a broader move to aluminum car bodies when Alcan shares started to skyrocket a while back (I should have kept the stock intstead of writing covered calls).

Don't get me wrong, i like aluminum. Unfortunately, there is a misconception here that "aluminum is better". It's not a clearcut case -- it depends on the design goals.

Most alloys of aluminum are not immune to corrosion, either. Aircraft must be rigorously inspected to detect corrosion and fatigue cracks. While aluminum is in many respects better to steel in environmental performance overall, it's dangerous to assume that it always is. consider, for instance, the use of aluminum on non-load-bearing door panels. When you ding them in a parking lot, don't expect to be able to pop out the dent. Aluminum panels need much more skill to repair.

Aluminum does not have a clear fatigue design rating, so unlike steel, it is difficult to predict design life -- which leads to padding up the aluminum design safety factor, reducing any weight advantage that one might have over steel. A guaranteed strong and lightweight aluminum structure must be extensively tested to prove its durability. That's expensive, and it is a primary reason why aircraft cost $millions and cars cost $thousands.

The automotive industry has made tremendous strides in corrosion protection, which is why cheap steel continues to be the most favored material for vehicle structure. Personally, I'm waiting for a manufacturer to turn its engineers loose on a carbon fiber platform that accepts many body styles (AL or steel). Lock down the modular carbon design and efficiently mass produce it for 15+ years while continually developing new and unique superstructure to please the automotive fashion industry.

Get ready, its time for Lexus to start its weight loss program. You know once the europeans start doing something new, Lexus is sure to follow.

Get ready, its time for Lexus to start its weight loss program. You know once the Europeans start doing something new, Lexus is sure to follow.

Get ready, its time for Lexus to start its weight loss program. You know once the Europeans start doing something new, Lexus is sure to follow.

Just to make the Lexus fans 3 times as mad.