Jeep, Ferrari Win Lightweighting Honors

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV’s Jeep Wrangler SUV and Ferrari SpA’s Portofino supercar won this year’s Altair Enlighten Award in the high-production and low-volume categories, respectively.

The seventh annual awards are sponsored by Troy, Mich.-based Altair Engineering Inc. in collaboration with the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Center for Automotive Research. They were announced at CAR’s Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich., this week.

The redesigned 2019 Wrangler is 203 lbs. lighter than its predecessor, thanks to a mix of aluminum, sheet-molding compound and high-strength steel. The new SUV’s body, which is 12% lighter than the outgoing Wrangler, accounted for more than half of the savings.

The aluminum-intensive Portofino convertible is 176 lbs. lighter and 35% stiffer than the Ferrari California. Altair notes that the Portofino was designed for structural optimization and makes use of advanced manufacturing techniques.

ZF Friedrichshafen AG’s new knee airbag system won the Enlighten module category. The design uses a fabric housing that is 30% lighter and 20% more compact than typical metal units.

In the enabling technologies category, Material Sciences Corp. took home top honors for its “Smart Steel” laminate. Featuring two steel outer layers that sandwich a polymer core, the construction is about 35% less dense than conventional stamped steel.