10 Years Of The Audi Aluminium And Lightweight Design Centre

10 Years Of The Audi Aluminium And Lightweight Design Centre
Audi founded the Aluminium and Lightweight Design Centre in Neckarsulm ten years ago. This is the birthplace of Audi's lead in lightweight design. Vehicles such as the A8 and A2 were created here.

The production location of the Audi A8 luxury saloon, with its aluminium body, is also where the group's aluminium expertise is based. Audi established the Aluminium Centre in Neckarsulm in 1994 at a cost of some eight million euros. Audi thus pooled its activities in the field of lightweight design ten years ago, bringing together the expertise of the Development, Production Planning and Quality Assurance departments under one roof.

Audi renamed this centre the 'Neckarsulm Aluminium and Lightweight Design Centre' two years ago. The name reflects the fact that research and development activities have long since shifted their focus beyond aluminium. High-strength steels, tailored blanks, reinforced plastics and magnesium are used increasingly at Audi. The systematic implementation of lightweight design in vehicle bodies is securing a noticeable reduction in fuel consumption.

The potential of the materials available for lightweight vehicles will be exploited even more effectively in future. Although aluminium remains the key material in lightweight design, efforts to investigate the scope for using other materials is being ste