Automotive News - February 18, 2008 - (Page 22)

22 • FEBRUARY 18, 2008 green car Rhoda Miel rmiel@crain.com Earth-friendly components. Clean powertrains. Sustainable manufacturing. Wherever the auto industry and environmentalism come together, the Green Car page will have the stories — every other month in Automotive News and at www.autonews.com. Road to tomorrow is paved with plastics DETROIT — There was a lot of green-car chatter at the Detroit auto show — about plug-in hybrid vehicles, all-electric sports cars, onboard generators and hydrogen fuel cells. But beyond the hoopla is a simple fact: The road to the green car future is paved with plastics. “This is a fantastic opportunity for us,” said David Dyke, advanced engineering manager for composites molder Meridian Automotive Systems Inc. of suburban Detroit. Automakers that need to shave cars’ weight to boost mileage performance have more reasons to use plastics now than at any time in a generation. Clever plastic packaging can help hide hybrid batteries, and the next generation of batteries — lithium ion — uses plastics for binder materials, in separating films and housings. Above: Recycled plastic is used in Lincoln MKT concept body panels. Right: The MKT concept uses glazed polycarbonate to create openings that wrap around the car from the hood into the roof area. Plastic-wrapped Even the electricity connecting the batteries and the wheels will run through cables wrapped in engineered plastics. And biodiesel and other new fuel blends will require special resin blends for hoses and tanks. “We’re talking to a number of strategic suppliers,” said Lou Rhodes, president of ENVI, Chrysler LLC’s in-house electronic research group. Those suppliers include battery makers as well as groups that can guide the company on composite body structures to cut weight, he said after a news conference at the Detroit show. Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors have pledged to have a plug-in hybrid on the road in two years. GM aims to turn out something similar to its Volt concept, which debuted in 2007. Toyota added to its hybrid potential with the A-BAT truck concept that debuted at the auto show. It featured not only battery power but carbon fiber body structures. Chrysler, like many other automakers, is not ready to commit to a date, but knows it has to be green to survive. So as the press circled around him after the introduction of Chrysler’s electricpowered concept cars, Rhodes jumped from discussions on the advances in lithium ion batteries to lightweight composites including carbon fiber and then to soy-based urethane foams for seats. “It’s evolving technology, and it seems like every week there’s something new,” he said. Toyota’s A-BAT truck concept has a four-cylinder engine teamed with Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system and features carbon fiber body structures. Plastics power Here are possible uses for plastics in future green cars. Weight-saving alternative to metal parts Packaging and binding material for lithium ion batteries Hoses and tanks for biodiesel and other new fuels Unique body panels for hybrids Increased share That evolution is exactly what plastics suppliers are hoping for to increase their presence in the automotive market. Dyke led a study with the Automotive Composites Alliance looking at how composites can help automakers make better hybrid vehicles. The study found that composites can reduce the weight of a hood by up to 40 percent and a rear trunk compartment by up to 50 percent. In addition, composites make more sense in low volumes — like a niche hybrid that may sell 20,000 to 40,000 vehicles, compared with 80,000 or more — because they allow carmakers to give hybrids a different look than their nongreen competition. Part of the attraction of a Toyota Prius is that it looks unique. It becomes a status symbol, Dyke said. A standard sedan with an extra decal advertising it as a hybrid will not get the same attention as one with a specially designed hood or fenders that present a different profile, Dyke said. “The public want the green cars,” he said. “They want the technology.” The new investments in electric cars and hybrids also opens the possibility that carmakers may change the architecture of the cars themselves, giving plastics a better chance to compete against traditional materials such as steel and aluminum, said Jim Kolb, vice president for automotive of the American Plastics Council. “They’re going to have to look at how they build the car,” he said. Just consider the load floor of a car, now typically made of steel. A hybrid or electric vehicle must be designed to accommodate battery stacks. Plastics offer more flexibility in designing those load floors, he said. Body structures So composites could play a part in new body structures. Sabic Innovative Plastics of Pittsfield, Mass., has been working with automak- ers on concept cars using recycled plastic in body panels — offering carmakers a chance to lighten up while also improving their recycling record. Its resins made up the body panels on GM’s Volt and in Ford Motor Co.’s Lincoln MKT concept. DuPont, Dow Chemical Co. and BASF AG also are working with automakers on plastics made from renewable resources, Kolb said. Plastics can even play a part in standard internal combustion engines, Dyke pointed out. The new U.S. federal mileage standards will require corporate average fuel economy of 35 mpg by 2020, up from 27.5 mpg today. That means carmakers must look at every option in their search to boost mileage. Said Dyke: “That legislation is going to be the biggest help for us in breaking the paradigm in the industry.” c Council aims to keep Ford current on environmental issues Bernadine Williams bwilliams@crain.com DETROIT — Ford Motor Co.’s Transformation Advisory Council, a group formed to provide advice on environmental issues, held its first meeting this month. “Ford has a long heritage of environmental innovation, and a renewed commitment to finding solutions,” Executive Chairman Bill Ford said when announcing plans for the council during a speech at the University of Michigan last November. “We also recognize that it will take a collective effort to resolve these issues, and we plan to be a proactive participant in that dialogue.” Ford set up the council to ensure the automaker remains current with the industry’s pace toward using greentechnology, says Ford spokesman Oscar Suris. Ford declined to disclose the topics of discussion at the first meeting. Council members from outside the carmaker include: Amory Lovins, chairman of the Rocky Mountain Institute. Paul Hawken, co-founder of Smith & Hawken, a garden and catalog company and head of the Natural Capital Institute. Peter Senge, lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and chairman of the Society for Organiza- tional Learning. Ford executives on the council include: Bill Ford Derrick Kuzak, group vice president of global product development. Sue Cischke, senior vice president of sustainability and safety engineering. Ziad Ojakli, group vice president of governmental affairs and community relations. c Lovins: Chairman of the Rocky Mountain Institute. Ford: Company has “heritage of environmental innovation.” http://www.autonews.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - February 18, 2008

Ford cuts equipment combinations on '09s Lenders shun subprime market Toyota dealers test satellite service centers Despite cost, more carmakers use laminated glass Merger produces turnaround firm Chrysler would shut to move Plastech work Jeep accessories: Mo' for Mopar Auctions: Repos are rising Automakers face more child safety rules Supplier Personnel Family-owned stores could be tough sell for consolidation What would lineup be with brands under single roof? Mercedes will pay $9.5 million to settle suit Beru revamps strategy to boost profits, growth Jaguar: Dealers take 10,000 customer deposits for XF sedans Chrysler exec: Performance segment will survive Mahindra to offer hybrids in U.S. Mazda ad agency hires VW and Mini creative whiz Icy weather and perhaps boredom chill roadster sales GM, Saturn: What's after Reynolds? Ford: Mid-sized model year for mid-sized cars Kia's new American boss: Let's boost sales Rolls gets sporty Luxury brands push to meet demand in Russia Dealer is makers' best voice in D.C. Get real, Kia, Hyundai Face it, Detroit: Trimming dealers will be expensive GM has confidence in the Chevy Volt It's no wonder auto sales are declining A workable idea: GM dealer buyouts It's deja vu again with reborn 2CV Nothing beats face to face There's a person behind that e-mail Buying cars online makes perfect sense Bush seeks to save 2008-11 CAFE rules Personnel Lear investor: No regrets about blocking buyout GM CFO is mum on more aid to Delphi Dealers Road to tomorrow is paved with plastics Council aims to keep Ford current on environmental issues VW ponders Phaeton's U.S. flop, may try again McGuffie is Covisint's president In hydrogen race, Mazda seeks quicker route Suit seeks to enforce title-washing remedy Suppliers to the 2008 Buick Enclave Mercedes, Audi warn dealers: No sales for export Sykora wants CAFE flexibility Minority dealers see tough times in 2008 Arlena Sawyers Toyota goal: Create stress-free store NADA's Taylor predicts 15.7 million U.S. sales this year Honda widens support for dealer ad groups Jay's jabs Survival 101: Get lean, work harder Microsoft will test dealership system Farley wants market-by-market sales strategy Entertaining the troops Report: Detroit 3 cutbacks curb rental-fleet sales Dilts: High interest rates hurt industry GM asks for dealer assistance on quality On the Record Fisker: We're close to making plug-in car J.D. Power exec: Internet leads are slipping away Minority auto group nears 2 deals Garmin makes navigation technology deal Tenneco wins Ford work B-P-G focuses on new product push Volvo offers cash to thin the herd Cadillac challenges dealers to boost sales Chevrolet can stay No. 1, if it will fight GM will push a green marketing message Saturn is expected to be GM's growth brand Certified used sales help Honda dealer profits Hummer counts on pickup to perk sales Mazda will boost marketing budget, unveil Mazda6 Saab dealers to get new vehicles Toyota wants even better customer loyalty Infiniti stresses profits and customer satisfaction Mitsubishi CEO sets tough U.S. sales goal Nissan exec: New models will boost per-store sales Suzuki dealers cheer return of incentives Ford to boost dealer margins Jag dealers anxiously await the XF Ford executives vague about Mercury future Subaru dealers want diesels, hybrids Acura upscale shift inspires 'great faith in the future' BMW readies national loaner-car program Land Rover: Future upbeat, unclear VW dealers get vehicles on wish list Chrysler dealers OK with consolidation plan Mercedes pushes dealership standards Porsche shrinks as luxury segment lapses Large Hyundai dealers get more room to roam Execs' exit stuns Kia dealers Ford recalls 180,000 trucks over door part, fuel hose GM posts massive loss; eyes N.A. profits by 2011 Big-truck sales fall 33.5% in Jan. WTO rips China's tariffs on imported auto parts Fiesta will rejoin the party in the U.S. UAW's Valentine to Delphi: Hands off our pensions Rx for dealership flux: NFL draft + Mideast bazaar Toyota gets the boot in Mexico Nissan triples female managers Silverado hits a million, rolls on

Automotive News - February 18, 2008

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