Ford Mustang Now Lighter Thanks to BASF

The new Ford Mustang is approximately 1 kilogram lighter thanks to innovative material developed by BASF.

Efforts to create a lighter radiator grille for the 2016 Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang using an innovative thermoplastic product developed by BASF have proven successful. BASF's strategic partners Magna and Ford designed a new grille using carbon-fiber material developed by BASF. This grille became 24 percent lighter compared to the previous plastic-metal hybrid design. Ford initiated a collaboration process by contacting automotive supplier Magna to develop a lighter grille alternative for the Shelby GT350 Mustang. Magna, another strategic partner of BASF, approached BASF seeking lightweight material concepts in response to Ford's request. For the component Ford requested, BASF recommended its Ultramid® polyamide thermoplastic resin product. The new part produced through this work contains 20 percent carbon-fiber composite and is approximately 1 kilogram lighter than the plastic-metal composite material previously used in the Shelby GT350.

A First in the Industry

Tom Pilette, Vice President of Product and Process Development at Magna Exteriors, said, "The material previously used for this component was a plastic-metal hybrid composite. Therefore, reducing the weight of the part was a real achievement. BASF's material properties and expertise played the largest role in the success of our design as an application being realized for the first time in the industry." Carbon fiber offers high performance and, in addition to weight reduction, provides aesthetic quality. Thanks to the aesthetic appearance of the new part produced, Ford eliminated the cover that previously concealed this load-bearing component in the front grille area, thereby reducing weight by approximately 850 grams. In total, this achieved 45 percent weight savings.

High Performance and Optimization

The radiator grille's load-bearing component in the front section, which structurally connects the upper and lower edge elements, is extremely important because it increases the overall rigidity of the vehicle's front body. Magna collaborated with BASF to develop the concept design it created, and performed topology optimization of the component using BASF's simulation service, Ultrasim®. The technology used was an extremely important factor in the team's success. Brian Shaner, Market Segment Manager at BASF, said, "We want to create solutions that help make vehicles lighter, increase performance, and contribute to a faster development process. Ultrasim® is an important component in this equation. It enables us to help customers optimize their designs."