Feature: A visit to Audi’s Aluminum and Lightweight Design Center

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Neckarsulm, Germany – When it comes to automobiles, weight is the enemy. It affects acceleration, handling and fuel economy, but as buyers demand more safety and convenience features and cars get bigger, vehicle weight has been creeping up.

Audi isn’t the only automaker tackling the problem, but it’s a leader in the technology, which it showcased to a group of international journalists at its Aluminum and Lightweight Design Center, and its A8/R8 assembly facility in Germany. The company’s lightweight aluminum Audi Space Frame (ASF) has been an essential tool in its vehicle construction for 15 years, and last year alone, it applied for 38 lightweight patent designs. Some of its design work is purely experimental, and some is too expensive to be used on anything in the near future, but much is being continually incorporated into new designs. From the A2 and A3 right up to the R8, the company’s cars have reached a point that would make Weight Watchers proud.

CanadianDriver Audi Feature: A visit to Audi?s Aluminum and Lightweight Design Center