Canadian Auto supplier Magna International has announced the completion of validation testing on multi-material lightweight vehicle (MMLV) concept car.
The light weight concept car has been developed by Magna in cooperation with Ford and the US Department of Energy (DOE).
The car is based on the production version of a 2013 Ford Fusion.
The magnesium, titanium, and carbon fiber, used in the car reduces the overall weight of Fusion to that of a 2013 Ford Fiesta which brings it down from a family sedan to a subcompact B-car.
The testing was aimed at showing that the car offered advantages in terms of global warming potential and the use of energy.
The auto supplier declared results of a life cycle assessment (LCA) study where the lightweight auto parts of the MMLV vehicle design was compared to conventional auto parts, with baseline of 2013 Ford Fusion.
According to the LCA study, MMLV's cradle-to-grave total net savings relative to cradle-to-grave LCA of the 2013 Fusion showed 16% improvement in total primary energy and 16% improvement in global warming potential.
Magnas CTO Swamy Kotagiri said: "The MMLV project shows the potential benefits of combining lightweight vehicle technologies and a downsized, high-output engine to reduce greenhouse gases and total energy.
"While this is a research prototype, the MMLV points the way to a more sustainable future. We at Magna are working diligently to make these lightweight technologies affordable for high volume production."
Image: Multi-material lightweight vehicle (MMLV) concept. Photo: courtesy of PR Newswire.
