As of earlier this month, GM switched the plastic used for several body panels on the 2016 Corvette to a lighter one. It’s an advanced composite referred to in the press blurb as a “space-age material” – TCA Ultra Lite by a company called Continental Structural Plastics.
Apparently, it offers “significant weight- and cost-savings over aluminum.”
Some 21 different panels on the C7 Coupe are molded out of TCA Ultra Lite, like the doors, decklids, quarter panels and the fenders.
Tadge Juechter, chief engineer for the Corvette, said that “in materials engineering, shaving a single pound per car is a significant accomplishment, so saving 20 lbs per car is monumental. This is a great example of how Chevrolet is continually looking for innovations that improve performance on Corvette, and could benefit possible future applications.”
The 20 lbs or 9 kg savings apply exclusively for the hard top Corvette; the numbers for the convertible were not specified and neither were the possible associated performance / efficiency gains.
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