Report Suggests Steel Industry is Leading the Way To Lightweighting

    WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 In its recently released Seventh Peer
Review Report on the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV), the
National Research Council (NRC) recommends a closer look be given to steel-
intensive technologies being developed by the American Iron and Steel
Institute (AISI) to assist the PNGV program in meeting its affordability goal.
The report states: "Because affordability is a key requirement of the 2004
production-prototype vehicles, the committee believes more attention should be
paid to the design and manufacturing techniques being worked on by AISI in the
UltraLight Steel Autobody - Advanced Vehicle Concept (ULSAB-AVC) project."

    "As the Peer Review Report states, it has become increasingly clear that
the PNGV weight reduction and affordability goals cannot be achieved using
low-density materials such as aluminum, magnesium and polymer composites,"
said Darryl Martin, AISI's senior director of automotive applications.
"Through the ULSAB-AVC program, the steel industry has identified practices
that can provide cost-effective solutions to these challenges."

    Martin said the ULSAB-AVC program is identifying lightweight applications
for advanced high-strength steels that offer significantly higher strength,
better formability, and greater energy absorption for critical crash
management applications than the mild or high-strength steels they replace,
while exhibiting the same advantages in terms of design flexibility,
recyclability, manufacturability and affordability.  The new materials and
technology can be utilized without any increase in overall cost -- in some
cases, at less cost -- to auto manufacturers.

    "The NRC report's finding that: ' ... the combination of 80 mpg and
affordability appears to be out of reach' clearly points to the need for the
PNGV industry and government partners to reexamine the program's goals and
reorder its materials research projects.  In light of the NRC's
recommendations, which for the second consecutive year suggest that more
attention be paid to the ULSAB-AVC research, AISI encourages the PNGV partners
to move forward in developing an action-oriented research strategy that
focuses on steel to help the program meet its affordability goals," Martin
said.

    "By refocusing the PNGV program according to the suggestions of the NRC
report, steel solutions can be combined with the promising powertrain
technology research already underway through the PNGV to provide light, safe
and affordable high-mileage vehicles," said Martin.

    The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) is a non-profit association
of North American companies engaged in the iron and steel industry.  The
Institute comprises 39 member companies, including integrated and electric
furnace steelmakers, and 154 associate and affiliate members who are suppliers
to or customers of the steel industry.