News From the Auto Industry

General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler are all approaching this challenge in their own ways and elements of their work have been emerging slowly. However GM has just opened a sizeable window on its own PNGV concept

The efficiency theme continues under the largely aluminum skin, where engineers crafted an aluminum spaceframe structure that weighs in at 334.4 lb., a 45% reduction from a traditional steel model. Engineers could have gone with exotic materials to really shake out weight, but remember that cost will eventually be one of the parameters PNGV designs need to own up to in 2004.