Cadillac CT6, ContiTech Win Lightweighting Awards

General Motors Co.’s all-new Cadillac CT6 sedan has been named this year’s winner of the Altair Enlighten Award for lightweighting in the full vehicle segment. Continental AG’s ContiTech arm won the supplier award for the polyamide rear crossbeam on the 2016 Mercedes S-Class car.

The fourth-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 presented this week during the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich.

Cadillac’s new CT6 flagship model was recognized for a multi-material construction that saved about 160 lbs. The car topped 20 other nominees for the vehicle award, including the runner-up BMW 7 Series sedan.

ContiTech’s polyamide crossmember in the S-Class achieved a 30% weight over the previous aluminum component. Alcoa earned a second-place finish in the component category for its micromill aluminum processing technology used on the Ford F-150 pickup truck.