Obviously a bunch of shortcomings, why car prices are still so sought after all aluminum body?

Mushroom coolers often hang in their mouths, "a light and a hundred good", in fact, the same on the car. Which car of the year does not advertise its own consumption of aluminum alloys, it's really embarrassing to fight for the name “good car”.

However, the aluminum alloy is not perfect, the strength is not as high-strength steel, high cost, molding and welding is difficult, these obvious short-board, I do not understand how savvy car companies could not understand it?

On the technical level, there are mainly three ways to achieve vehicle weight reduction: structure, manufacturing process, and materials. However, the first two are all indirect measures, and it is difficult to obtain instant results. At this time, replacing the steel with lower density aluminum is the best choice.

In the automotive history, there are two examples of successful use of aluminum alloy counterattacks:

One was a Lotus 25 model designed by Colin Chapman in 1965. The technician used rivets to reinforce the aluminum alloy shell for the first time, replacing the traditional tubular frame cockpit. This is the first monomer in F1 racing history. Shell racing. Thanks to this lighter, more rugged car, the Lotus team swept the team champion and driver championship that year.

Another example is Japan's 90s high-performance sports car NSX. In the field of high-performance sports cars, Japanese cars have not waited until NSX rewritten this understanding. Its magic weapon is the aluminum chassis + aluminum alloy lightweight chassis.

Compared to the contemporary Ferrari F348 and F40 (steel pipe welding body structure), Lamborghini ghosts (steel material as the suspension swing arm), the NSX that is not so eager to have a heavy mechanical sense is just so good that it will open up to shock, stunning, and even make Its driver self-expands because even in the corner NSX can be opened quickly.

The Japanese did not brake, and they made a swift attempt to change the design target level from the original Ferrari 328 to 348. In the 1990s, the NSX became the "Eastern Ferrari".

Of course, there is no brake on the car, as well as the high price of NSX. In the 1990s, the price of NSX was several times higher than that of the GT-R.

The short plates of aluminum alloys are as obvious as their advantages, such as the aforementioned high cost, low strength, poor welding performance, high maintenance costs (even re-replacement) and so on.

These unfavorable factors have caused many car manufacturers to suffer headaches, and even Audi has begun to gradually reduce the proportion of aluminum alloy in the ASF aluminum alloy space frame structure on high-end models.

At the time, the ASF was also known as the name of the all-aluminum body. The first A8 (D2) with ASF body frame structure was used, and the body was only 249Kg. However, the A8 structure of the A8 (D4) contains 8% of steel; the newly announced 2018 A8 (D5) body has reached 282Kg, which does not include weight and torsional rigidity in order to reduce the weight, but in the rear bulkhead and the connected storage. Carbon fiber reinforced composite (CFRP) used on the stand.

Audi is changing and is beginning to develop in the direction of hybrid cars. According to its explanation, this is to solve the increasingly stringent safety requirements. Using a steel-aluminum hybrid body can increase the body strength and increase safety. As for whether or not the material was changed due to price, it was not mentioned.

The other two BBA players have not advertised their own aluminum body. When we talk about the aluminum body, we will think of Jaguar at the earliest time, but the all-aluminium body of Jaguar XFL uses “only” 75% of the aluminum alloy, not 100% as we imagine, and it does not All use aluminum alloy in the body.

Cadillac, the other person in the aluminum alloy, also said that he was building a steel-aluminum hybrid body (64% of CT6 aluminum alloy).

In fact, manufacturers did not describe the absolute aluminum body as described in their propaganda, but most manufacturers are still trying to increase the proportion of aluminum alloy. There are three reasons:

1. The weight of the car has always been the enemy of fuel consumption and control, but the corresponding engine and control chassis for fuel consumption are not good fortune.

Nowadays, the replacement of cars is so fast and the competition is becoming more and more intense. To improve performance in a short period of time is simply a fantasy. For so many years, the "rotor does not die," and finally it is not helpless to death.

Let's take a look at the Lotus 25 and NSX mentioned above. In fact, they all used aluminum alloys to get them out of the sea of ​​blood.

2. In the era of new energy technologies, the blue ocean of battery technology has come. However, due to the addition of battery systems, it added a lot of weight to the car body; affected by the layout of the battery, it added to the traditional structural optimization and lightweighting. .

We see that small engines are now being sought after, partly because small engines are relatively light. The engine has made concessions, the body naturally will not fall, not to mention the weight of the body more than a hundred kilograms, weight loss is even more imperative.

3. At the market level, “all aluminum” is a gold sign. If you use it well, you will not talk about it. Hermes scarf design, workmanship and materials no matter how good, but also is a scarlet towel, tens of thousands of times at all times just let my chin almost fall, but the mushroom cool all over the world are all dumped.

Therefore, "all aluminum" is the same as "Hermes". It is a gold sign and an important means of brand premium. Whoever wins the “all-aluminum” highland, who is the person who erects the Flag, the price naturally has a guarantee.

Is aluminum alloy an inevitable future? Certainly not.

Because for the foreseeable time, autonomous driving technology will reach an unprecedented level of intelligence. Nowadays, all major automotive safety performance testing organizations are increasing the scoring weights of assistive driving systems, indicating that autopilot technology will inevitably have a lot to do with vehicle safety. By then, who cares whether your car is aluminum or carbon fiber, or even plastic?

But at least until then, aluminum alloys still have a lot to offer. Car manufacturers are savvy with it, a loss-making business often makes money, but the industry as a whole, it is natural that they can not afford to abandon the "cake" in this body.