For carmakers to be able to cope with tightening fuel economy requirements, they won’t only have to produce a few electric vehicles and hybrids. They would also have to lower the curb weight in their volume sellers. Autoblog reports that Audi will remove about 300 pounds out of the next-generation Audi A4, which will arrive in 2015. The existing A4 sedan weighs from 3,500-3,700 pounds, depending on whether all-wheel drive is used. But for a so-called compact sedan, it’s still quite big. AB says that the savings won’t have to come from a huge increase in the use of high-strength (high-tensile) steel. As costs decrease, Audi is expected to use relatively exotic materials such as carbon fiber.
