North American International Auto Show 2009
General Motors Corp. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz talks batteries and design at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, where GM showed off the electric Cadillac Converj concept car. While the Converj's styling mimics that of standard Cadillacs, it also uses plastics throughout, everywhere from its lithium-ion batteries to the vertical line of its LED headlights. (All photos by PN reporter Rhoda Miel unless otherwise noted.)
LED lighting showed up all over the auto show floor, sometimes as a replacement in traditional headlights or for accent styling, as in GM's Chevrolet Camaro, which combines LEDs with a thermoplastic light pipe for a distinctive daytime running light.
A collimator lens like this one, made from Bayer MaterialScience polycarbonate, is used within LED headlights to focus the beam. (Bayer MaterialScience LLC photo)
In-mold film programs make it possible for automakers to offer a little extra flair to buyers at minimal costs, like the trim on this injection molded exterior mirror on a BMW AG Mini Cooper. Suppliers such as molder Magna International Inc.'s Decoma unit are finding interest for parts like the mirror housing because it allows them to offer buyers a distinctive look for their cars at lower costs, said Tom Pilette, vice president of product and process development for Decoma.
When car guys complain about exterior gaps, they're talking about problems like this, in an older model Chrysler LLC Dodge Ram truck. Plastics usually get the blame for these gaps from engineers who don't understand plastics and ways to control thermal expansion, but this particular model uses a steel structure, Decoma's Pilette says.
The current Dodge Ram pickup uses a hybrid thermoplastic composite from Magna's Decoma division, rather than steel, but because parts are engineered well from the start with plastics in mind, gaps are reduced and fit issues are not a problem, said Decoma's Tom Pilette. It's not plastics that caused previous problems, but parts that weren't engineered well.
The plastics industry sees opportunities for more polycarbonate use in cars, but PC cannot compete against glass on a pure cost level. In North America, to make real inroads into big parts like a roof system, PC has to offer more, said Bruce Benda, vice president of automotive glazing in North America for Bayer MaterialScience LLC. One selling point for designers is the flexibility of PC compared with glass in creating a shapely roof like the one in Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln C concept.
Another selling point is seen in the tailgate for Daimler AG's Blue Zero concept, in which LED rear lights, window and structural components are all integrated into one PC part, Benda noted.
The Blue Zero concept pushes PC even farther in terms of design, though no one is making any promises that the wheel cover or stylized wheel well panel, which Mercedes calls a "spat," will ever end up on a production car.
South Korean automaker Kia Motors Corp. wanted to have a high-style but low-cost interior for its Soulster concept. By thinking intensely about design and materials, the company hit both points, said chief designer Tom Kearns. "Some things that don't cost very much can still be made to look fantastic."
On the other end of the concept-car-interior scale, GM's designers focused on breakthrough materials for the Cadillac Converj, imagining organic LEDs printed on a flexible polymer substrate for the instrument panel. (General Motors Corp. photo)
Most sport utility vehicles, hatchbacks and crossover vehicles have a tailgate set back from the thermoplastic olefin bumper fascia so the steel rear gate will not get dented or damaged in a low speed crash.
But for the 2010 Lincoln MKT, Ford Motor Co. opted for a TPO outer skin on the tailgate, allowing it to sit nearly flush with the bumper fascia and change the look of the car -- because the TPO panel will bounce back after a low speed crash, just as the bumper does, said Decoma's Pilette.
Rock star entrance at the auto show?
... Nope. Just the introduction of Toyota Motor Corp.'s new Prius. In addition to its gas and electric hybrid powertrain, the car also boasts the use of recycled and plant-based resins in its interior trim.
