Autocar Professional’s October 1 issue celebrates lightweighting

‘Tis the time to make your mean machine lean. From ideas to innovation, from the drivetrain to the door panel, there is a mad race against weight. This is exactly why our October 1 issue goes heavy on the topic in this ‘Lightweighting Special’.

This 64-page issue gets you detailed coverage of the various aspects of lightweighting, the top trends and how India Auto Inc is all cutting the kilos and shaving the grams as it strives to go light.

Lightweighting Special
How exactly can automobiles shed weight without compromising their efficiency?

• German chemical major Henkel joined forces with RLE International to drive automotive innovation. Using structural adhesives and structural inserts, the two firms are looking at reducing automotive weight rapidly by as much as 30kg per car while increasing product strength and bringing down product development time.
  
  
• As lightweighting cars gain currency, Vedanta Aluminium believes there is ample scope for Indian automakers to use aluminium in a variety of vehicle components. In an exclusive interview, Ajay Kapur, CEO - Aluminium and Power Business, Vedanta Aluminium says the higher cost due to aluminium use is easily offset by significantly reduced fuel and energy consumption and lower maintenance costs.
  
   
• 
•  Israel’s REE Automotive has partnered Mahindra & Mahindra with its ground-breaking next-gen EV platform technology that bears the potential to lead the future of light-duty commercial vehicles. In an exclusive interview, co-founder and CEO Daniel Barel details the working strategy with M&M and the disruptive lightweight platform.
• Meanwhile Chandigarh-based start-up EVage has created India’s first exoskeleton structure which will serve as an affordable common architecture on which seven EVs can be made.
• 3D Printing is one of the poster  boys of this lightweighting initiative globally. A webinar conducted by 3D printing major Stratasys along with market research firm IDC probes how 3D printing technology has the potential to address key challenges faced by the Indian ecosystem.
• Tube Investment of India and TI Truck Body Works plan to set up 10 truck body building plants and commission 20 contract manufacturers by 2025. We have the details.
• Altair seeks to acknowledge all these myriad lightweighting initiatives across the automotive world with its Enlighten Awards. Toyota, Nissan, Harley-Davidson, Du Pont, ZF and Mubea are the headline grabbers.
• We get you views from key industry leaders, veterans and changemakers on lightweighting. Our guest columnists are Ravi Damodaran of Greaves Cotton, Steve Brown of Tata Technologies and Bala Pachyappa of Sodion Energy.

Straight to Strategy
But lightweighting is not the only strategy that car makers are employing to revive the sagging fortunes of automotive sector-

Steffen Knapp, Director of Volkswagen Passenger Cars India, plans to drive its India 2.0 revival story in India on the back of the Taigun compact SUV. Also, there is to be a strategic overhaul of the retail front to develop closer customer connect.

• Even as the general market trend is biased heavily towards petrol, Hyundai is keen on a contrarian call. The Korean car major achieved its best ever market share of 17.7 percent in India, between January to August.
• Meanwhile the commercial vehicle major, Ashok Leyland is revving up its EV strategy.

The New Launches
It’s been a busy fortnight for car lovers, especially those who vote big for compact SUVs.

• Kia Motors India is betting big on its Sonet with an ambitious target of 100,000 units in the domestic market and 50,000 exports in year one.
• Toyota Kirloskar Motor rolled outs its first compact SUV – the Maruti Vitara Brezza-based Urban Cruiser. Will the brand do a Glanza and draw buyers to the fold?

It was a fortnight that saw Harley-Davidson quit India after 11 years in the market and little to show for the record. It’s all there in the News pages along with industry riveting updates.

How you can read this issue 
Autocar Professional magazine is also available through all good newsagents and for download from Magzster. You can also buy one-off copies of Autocar Professional magazine – contact Ganesh at ganesh@haymarketsac.com. Alternatively, never miss an issue – subscribe to Autocar Professional magazine today