Ford has given us a look in to its lightweight future, with a concept of the next-generation Ford Mondeo that weighs just 1,195kg – that’s about the same as a diesel-powered Fiesta.
Ford has managed to shed 363kg of weight from a conventional next-gen Mondeo by fitting things like carbon fibre wheels, high-strength steels and aluminium in the chassis and composite springs for the front suspension.
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Underneath the bonnet is the 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost engine – a lot of likely the 123bhp version – that is earmarked for use in the conventional Mondeo and can be currently found in smaller models like the Fiesta and Focus.
Ford hasn’t revealed any performance figures for the concept but given it weighs about as much as a Fiesta, it must be capable of around 60mpg, with 0-62mph in about 10 seconds.
“Our goal was to check out how to design and build a mixed-materials, lightweight automobile that could potentially be produced in high volume, while supplying the same level of safety, sturdiness and toughness as our automobiles on the road today,” said Matt Zaluzec, Ford technical leader, global materials and manufacturing Research.
Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, global product development said: “A focus on light-weighting will be fundamental to our industry for years to come, and we are investigating lots of advanced materials applications as possible options for weight reduction in our vehicles.”
Auto express has already been told that the next-generation focus will have to be 200kg lighter than the current automobile if it’s to pass stringent emissions regulations.
Ford’s powertrain director, Andrew Fraser said: “The sole way to do it is with an all-alloy construction. At the moment, only some suspension parts are made from alloy – the rest is steel. It would let us have smaller engines, fuel tanks and cooling systems.”