2016 Chevrolet Cruze Body Structure

Body Structure

The 2016 Chevrolet Cruze Body Structure is the first model to adopt GM’s new global compact midsize car platform. It was developed by a team of European engineers the design team made it a goal to include as much high-strength steel as possible.

2016 Chevy Cruze Body Structure (Source: Eckhardt/Kupper 2014 Aachen Body Engineering Presentation)

Seventy-two percent of the new Cruze’s body consists of high-strength steel, enhancing fuel economy without compromising safety.

These efforts, along with clean sheet redesign of the entire structure, such as the front end crash structure shown below, resulted in a -52 kg mass reduction in the BIW.  According to Kupper, even with these aggressive measures, the team did not exhaust the potential  of  HSS mass reduction capability.

The design team also employed a “thin-metal” strategy reducing steel material thicknesses to as much as .5 mm, for example, in a lightweight hood inner.

Thanks to the World Auto Steel for the information!