Mazda Motor Corporation, in conjunction with Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation and JFE Steel Corporation, has developed the world’s first cold-stamped vehicle body parts made from 1,310 MPa-class high-strength steel.
To be used in Mazda’s new-generation Skyactive-Vehicle Architecture, the high-strength parts will underpin upcoming models with the all-new Mazda 3 the first to benefit.
Using the high-strength steel allows for parts to be made from thinner sheet metal without losing any yield strength. This creates a lighter vehicle body which has a flow-on effect with improved handling stability and fuel economy achieved. A strong vehicle body also enables better crash safety performance.
Prior to the 1310 MPa-class high-strength steel being used, cold-stamping vehicle body structural members has only been possible with 1,180 MPa or lower-classed steel. Mazda and its counterparts have found a way to cold-stamp the parts with the higher strength steel.
In the all-new Mazda 3 components made from the 1,310 MPa-class high-strength steel will include the front pillar inner, the roof rail inner, the hinge pillar reinforcement, the roof rail reinforcement, the No. 2 cross member and the side sill inner reinforcement. Combined, this saves roughly 3kg compared to the previous model.
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