Ford has revealed the new Ford Lightweight concept, which has reduced the weight of the Fusion to that of a Ford Fiesta.
Well not really, but Ford has revealed the new Ford Lightweight concept, which has reduced the weight of the Fusion to that of a Ford Fiesta. The Ford Lightweight concept builds on the same lightweight technologies that were used to shed 700 pounds from the 2015 F-150.
“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.”
Related: 2015 Ford F-150 Officially Drops Up to 700 Pounds and Debuts With New 2.7L EcoBoost
To drop the Fusion’s weight, Ford’s engineers used aluminum, ultra-high-strength steels, magnesium and carbon fiber. The result is that the Lightweight concept is nearly 25 percent lighter than a production Fusion.
“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.”
Source: Ford
