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ALUMINIUM · 4/2010
NEWS IN BRIEF
Novelis leading supplier of aluminium sheet for new Audi A8
Novelis has been selected as the main
supplier of aluminium sheet for the
redesigned Audi A8 luxury sedan.
Audi has long been a pioneer in incorporating
lightweight design into
its vehicles and is taking this to a
new level with the aluminium-intensive
A8. The latest model, which was
recently unveiled, will use Novelis
Fusion technology for the first time
to achieve weight savings not previ-
ously possible in automotive structural
components.
Novelis has entered into an agreement
with Audi for the supply of the
aluminium sheet that will be used for
a number of outer panels (hood, deck
Novelis selected to supply 6000-series automotive sheet and Novelis Fusion AS250 sheet
for the new aluminum-intensive 2011 Audi A8
lid, doors and roof) and design-critical
structural components, including
the complete floor tunnel and various
reinforcements.
The agreement extends the long-
Alcan Specialty Sheet – new sheet
products for automotive body-in-white applications
Alcan Specialty Sheet introduces a
comprehensive product portfolio of
automotive body-in-white sheet specifications
to meet the growing and increasingly
complex demands of the
European automotive industry.
With the investment in a conversion
line at the Neuf-Brisach plant in
France, Alcan Specialty Sheet further
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strengthened its position as a major
player in the aluminium automotive
market in Europe. “We wanted to develop
a complete product portfolio
to offer the required tailored solutions”,
says Thierry Mootz, director
Sales and Marketing, Automotive
and Customised Solutions. “By using
new and recognisable brand names,
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Audi
running relationship between the car
manufacturer and Novelis. Novelis
will supply specially-treated 6000series
automotive sheet as well as its
Novelis Fusion AS250 sheet.
Audi says that one of its most enduring
aims is to reverse the ‘weight
spiral’ – the trend towards increasing
vehicle weight with successive models.
Lightweight design is the foundation
of the company’s entire approach
to improving efficiency. To help fulfil
this ambition for the next generation
of the A8, Audi set itself the target of
increasing the strength of the loadbearing
components in the car by 25
percent.
The use of Novelis Fusion has enabled
Audi to meet this goal for the
floor tunnel, thus reducing overall
vehicle weight and meeting the latest
global crash requirements. It is the
unique combination of core properties
and surface characteristics provided
by the multi-alloy composition
of Novelis Fusion that makes this possible.
In this instance, Novelis Fusion
was chosen instead of a dual-phase
steel solution, which would not have
achieved the weight reduction required
by Audi.
we also highlight the differentiation
of our products and create a strong
automotive identity. The brand names
recognise customer requirements like
formability, strength and surface.”
“We developed and qualified products
to match key customer specifications,
such as Surfalex6s for demanding
skin quality or Formalex5x, a high
formability 5xxx mono-alloy tailored
for difficult parts such as door interiors”,
says Hervé Ribes, development
manager Automotive. The portfolio
also includes the brand names Strongalex,
Ultralex, Securalex and Coralex.
The development of a full product
range within less than two years
was supported by the research and
development capabilities in Voreppe
(France).
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