Automotive Design and Production

JUN 2017

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www.ADandP.media MASS MATTERS One of the things that is most notable about the 2018 Equinox is how solid it seems even though there is a mass reduction compared to the 2017 model vehicle. According to Cieslak, they spent a lot of time working on getting the architecture of the structure right. They also made a strategic deployment of ultra-high-strength steel, which accounts for about 30 percent of the body-in-white. (While much is made about the active safety technology on offer for the vehicle—based on radar and cameras—such as "surround vision" and "forward collision alert with following distance indicator, the fundamental bones of the vehicle cannot be underestimated. (Another benefit of solid structural engineering as well as good manu- facturing practices is that the vehicle is notable for one thing that it lacks: noise—it has a quiet cabin.) Now while Cieslak says that the team did a "gram-by-gram" mass reduction for the vehicle, and while the 2018 Equinox is said to be "about 400 pounds lighter" than its predecessor, Reduced drag results in better fuel efficiency. For the 2018 Equinox, they ran more than 500 hours in the wind tunnel. Among the aero improvements are electronically controlled grille shutters, for the lower and upper grilles, that are automatically actuated when engine cooling needs are reduced, such as when cruising on the highway. The shutters reduce drag. 33 AD&P; ∕ JUNE 2017 EQUINOX

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