CT6’s Body Structure is 64% Aluminum; Doesn’t Use Aluminum Body Panels
© General Motors
Cadillac has promised to reveal its CT6 flagship sedan at the end of the month, and so begins the approach to March 31st by taking an in-depth look at some of the processes that go into making it so damned fancy.
In so doing, we not only learn a bit about the approach to assembling the CT6’s body structure, but we also learn a bit about the materials that will comprise it. Notably, the CT6’s skeleton will be aluminum-heavy and will utilize 13 different materials in order to enhance everything from performance to efficiency, and even the quietness of its cabin.
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“This is the rocket science of automobile construction and manufacturing today,” said Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen. “With the CT6, we used high-strength aluminum and high-strength steels; lightweight chassis components; we integrate aluminum and steel where it makes sense; we eliminate every gram of mass possible, while achieving world-class performance.”
In all, Cadillac says that 64% of the CT6’s body structure is aluminum, but it notes that this does not include exterior body panels. Still, this mixed-material approach helps save about 198 pounds over what the vehicle would weigh with predominantly steel construction.
The CT6 will also utilize steel close-out panels on the lower part of the structure to achieve what it calls “a bank vault-quiet cabin.”
“The structure of the CT6 is one of the most-advanced body systems we’ve ever produced,” said Travis Hester, Cadillac CT6 executive chief engineer. “The innovation surrounding our joining techniques have enabled us to create a vehicle structure with the highest torsional rigidity of any Cadillac while achieving one of the most mass-efficient vehicles in the segment.”
Expect more news on what makes the CT6 Cadillac’s potential saving throw for US sales in the weeks leading up to its full reveal.
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