TOKYO (April 10, 2003) ・Kobe Steel, Ltd. and Kobe Alcoa Transportation Products, Ltd. are supplying aluminum to Mazda Motor Corporation for use in its all-new RX-8 sports car that Mazda announced yesterday in Japan. Kobe Steel's aluminum is used in the outer and inner panels of the hood, the inner panels of the rear doors, and forged parts for the suspension system. In comparison to steel, aluminum reduces the weight of these components by 40% to 50%.

Automakers are facing increasingly higher emission regulations. They must meet or exceed Europe's carbon dioxide emission standards for 2008 and the CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) regulations in the United States. Japan's 2010 fuel economy standards require a 23% improvement for passenger cars, in comparison to the 1995 level.

But loaded with navigation systems, airbags and options, automobiles have grown heavier in recent years. In response, car manufacturers have been seeking ways to cut vehicle weight to improve mileage and reduce emissions. Aluminum enables cars to be lightweight while maintaining high strength and performance. These advantages are spurring the growth of this material.

The Kobe Steel Group is supplying the aluminum sheet that goes into the outer and inner panels of the RX-8's hood. Developed by the Kobe Steel Group, this aluminum material is noted for its outstanding press-forming qualities and high stiffness resulting from bake-hardening after painting.

The inner panel utilizes a Multicone structure, which consists of cone-shaped dimples press-formed on the aluminum sheet to improve stiffness. Involved in the development of the hood from the beginning, the Kobe Steel Group verified the advantages of the Multicone design using stiffness analysis and other methods. As a result, the Multicone design was adopted for use in the RX-8 and this in turn contributed to the use of aluminum materials from the Kobe Steel Group.

The Multicone design was developed by Alcoa, with which Kobe Steel has a long cooperative relationship. Although Alcoa has supplied this material in the United States, this is the first use of the Multicone structure in a domestically produced car. Mazda has combined the Multicone design with its own pedestrian protection technologies into what it calls the Shock Cone Aluminum Hood.

Aluminum as an inner door material is difficult to form, and Kobe Steel's technical support ・through proposals for improvements using forming simulation, such as FEM analysis, and other ideas ・helped contribute to the greater use of the material.

The suspension system contains parts made of forged aluminum. Aluminum suspension parts contribute to improved handling and road performance required in sports cars.

Kobe Steel supplies a wide range of aluminum products for automotive applications: castings for engine parts; extrusions for bumpers, door impact beams and structural parts; forgings for suspension systems; and sheet for the hood, roof, doors and trunk lid. Kobe Steel also focuses on related technologies ・surface treatment, joining, forming, and material analysis ・to facilitate the use of aluminum. As Japan's top supplier of automotive aluminum products, Kobe Steel offers total solutions to promote the use of aluminum and expand its applications.

Kobe Steel, Ltd. is one of Japan's leading steelmakers and producers of aluminum and copper products. Other businesses include welding consumables, infrastructure and plant engineering, machinery, construction equipment and real estate. In the year ended March 2001, Kobe Steel had consolidated sales of 1,198 billion yen (US$8.99 billion). The company has headquarters in Kobe and Tokyo, Japan.

The automotive aluminum sheet is supplied through Kobe Alcoa Transportation Products, Ltd., a 50/50 joint venture between Kobe Steel and Alcoa Inc. KATP produces and markets aluminum sheet for the transportation industry. Based in Tokyo, Japan, the company was established in 1992.