aluminum

  • 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class technology preview

    Before the introduction of more extreme vehicles like the McLaren-Mercedes SLR and the current gull-wing Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, the regular SL-Class sports car was top of the tree in the Mercedes hierarchy. As such it was often a technological leader, frequently sharing innovations with the S-Class luxury sedan in an altogether sportier body. The new 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL will be pioneering even more new technology for the brand with Motor Authority revealing more details on the new tech. Less weight The latest generation of SL-Class will be no different, and Mercedes says it's taking the SL...

  • 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia
    Ferrari's Future Cars Staying Aluminum, Not Carbon Fiber

    The battle of lightweight materials is becoming one of many players. Companies like Mazda are striving to cut down weight with clever use of high-strength steels. Lotus has always gone the way of plastic composite bodies. Even magnesium has been suggested for reducing weight. Ferrari and McLaren...

  • Da Feng's Flake concept car
    Flake Supercar Has Carbon "Fur" Airbrakes, D-Shaped Wheels

    List of materials commonly associated with supercar construction: Carbon fiber, aluminum, fur, titanium, gold... Hang on, fur? Sounds ludicrous, but automotive designer Da Feng's latest supercar creation The Flake makes use of bodywork that acts in a fur-like manner to enhance aerodynamic...

  • 2012 Audi A6 aluminum and steel construction
    Aero Aluminum Alloy To Compete With Composites, Due In Cars?

    Low weight is the golden goose of automotive technology. Everyone wants it because it brings about improvements in virtually all areas - performance, economy, handling - but engineering a car with lower weight than the one that preceeded it is difficult to do. Customers want safer, quieter and...

  • 2012 Audi A6 all-LED headlights
    7 High Tech Options, The Cheapest Cars You'll Find Them In

    One of the benefits of the rapid pace of technological advancement is that economies of scale are achieved relatively easily. Sounds boring, but this means that the high-technologies of a few years ago have already found themselves in much more affordable cars. Once this meant heated rear screens...

  • Jaguar Logo
    Jaguar Crossover To Get Aluminum Body, Ian Callum Design: Report

    The purists may hate the thought of it, but in this global economic environment a luxurious crossover looks to be a necessity if Jaguar hopes to remain viable in the future. Not only are the high-riding models crucial for gaining a foothold in emerging markets such as Russia, India and China, where...

  • dAlH2Orean Aluminum-powered R/C car

    The future is full of powerplant possibilities - efficient gasoline and clean diesel, hybrids, hydrogen fuel cells and pure electric - but we don't yet have the technology to power a car using cold fusion, à la 'Doc' Brown's DeLorean in the Back To The Future trilogy. We can replicate the Doc's 'Mr Fusion' waste-fuelled vehicle though, at least on a small scale. The dAlH2Orean (natch) is an aluminum-powered radio control car, designed by a team of Spanish engineers. It's waste aluminum too, using the ring-pulls from soda cans. Mixing the aluminum with sodium hydroxide causes a chemical...

  • Magnesium vehicle construction
    Magnesium Car Bodies: The New Steel, Carbon, Aluminum?

    Another day, another material that could lead to lighter vehicles of the future. The latest candidate? Magnesium. Magnesium componentry in cars is nothing new of course. Magnesium alloy wheels are popular in the motorsport world where light weight and impressive strength are paramount. Now...

  • 2012 Audi A6
    Video: Audi Highlights A6’s Aluminum Construction In New ‘Manipulation’ Ad

    The new 2012 Audi A6 is without doubt a technical marvel. Combining such technologies as radar-based cruise control and adaptive brakes, full LED headlights, a touchpad controller for the MMI interface, a range of fuel efficient yet powerful engines--including an eventual hybrid--and of course, the...

  • Audi A2 rendering
    Audi A2 Launch Pushed Back To Early 2015

    The last we heard about development of a second-generation Audi A2 model was that the project was on hold due to the lack of a suitable platform. Now it’s been reported that a platform has been found and that the car is on track for a debut in early 2015, more than two years later than...

  • Jaguar Logo
    First Details On Jaguar’s Replacement For The X-Type

    Jaguar's XF and new 2010 XJ sedans have made waves in the sport-luxury seas, bringing a newer, fresher face to what was once a bit of a stodgy lineup. Now it looks like Jaguar may be planning even more boat-rocking, with several new models in the pipeline including a sports car, a BMW 3-Series...

  • 2009 Audi A5 Aluminum Coupe Prototype
    Audi A5 Aluminum Prototype Sheds 220-Pounds

    Audi has swapped the steel construction of the A5 Coupe for aluminium and carbon-fiber to save up to 220-pounds.

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