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Ford Begins Testing Carbon Fiber Subframe from Magna
Ford Motor Co. has begun validation tests on a prototype carbon fiber composite subframe co-developed with Magna International Inc.
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Ford Motor Co. has begun validation tests on a prototype carbon fiber composite subframe co-developed with Magna International Inc.
Ford is testing the system in a Fusion midsize sedan. Magna tells Automotive News that the carmaker will decide by year-end whether to put the assembly into production.
Carbon fiber is strong but also brittle compared with high-strength steel. Magna says its design can absorb only 5% of the energy involved in a front-end crash. The company acknowledges that steel and perhaps other metals would be required to meet crash standards.
Magna tells AN that side doors may be a more likely, though also challenging, next application for carbon fiber. The material is already used in rear liftgates, where crash energy absorption isn’t a big performance issue.
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