Cadillac’s upcoming CT6, which will be revealed at the New York Auto Show later this week, is a sign of things to come for GM’s luxury brand and for other brands too.
Not necessarily from a design point of view, but because of the way it is built. As you probably know if you have read reports so far on the CT6, the car is the largest scale application of the Cadillac’s new approach to combining steel, aluminum and other materials to build lighter vehicles.
This approach allows GM to build vehicles that are light enough to meet tough efficiency standards, yet big enough to satisfy customers who want spacious cars.
As it turns out, GM engineers are studying variations on the CT6’s multi-material construction for at least four other future vehicle platforms.
Furthermore, other models could be derived from the CT6’s “Omega” architecture, the project’s chief engineer, Travis Hester said in an interview cited by Reuters. While some rivals like Ford are moving toward largely aluminum bodies, GM takes a different approach.
Initially, the CT6’s engineers were headed in the same direction, but during the development phase they found that different materials perform best in different areas. “What came out was a whole different set of combinations,” said CT6’s chief engineer.
As a result, engineers decided to use high strength steel around the passenger compartment rather than aluminum because steel makes a better sound shield, resulting in less need for noise absorbing padding. Additionally, GM saved money by eliminating expensive metal-forming dies, replacing as many as 35 parts with one casting.
The approach explains why the Cadillac CT6’s body is about 198 lbs (90 kg) lighter than a comparable body made of steel.
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