People’s Daily. The China Iron and Steel Research Institute Group (CISRI) recently held a press event in Beijing highlighting its successful development of a third generation of automotive steel, intended to significantly decrease vehicle weight and improve crash safety.
According to the group, the newly-developed material is expected to be applied commercially in 2014 in China by some automakers, including Beijing Hyundai and FAW-Volkswagen, a major passenger sedan manufacturer jointly ventured by First Automobile Works Group Corporation of China and Volkswagen AG, Audi AG and Volkswagen Automobile (China) Investment Co., Ltd.
“After the application of the third generation of automotive steel, it is more likely for drivers to survive in the accident,” said Weng Yuqing, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Weng said at present, basically all cars in the world were made of the first generation of automotive steel. The third generation steel possesses high strength and high ductility, which he said was two times better than the first generation in terms of tensile strength and extensibility.