Specifications

17 Technology | Aluminium hybrid construction
Aluminium sheet
Cast aluminium
Aluminium profile
Hot-formed steel
Cold-formed steel
Aluminium luggage compartment lid
Aluminium thrust panel
Aluminium profile bumper system
Hot-formed and partially tempered B pillars
Aluminium doors
Aluminium side panels
Die-cast aluminium struts
Aluminium profile front subframe
Aluminium profile bumper system
Aluminium bonnet
Why build a lightweight vehicle?
Because it has heavyweight benefits.
You already notice from a distance the “Vorsprung”
of the Audi A6. The impression is confirmed
when breaking the vehicle down to its individual
parts. It then becomes apparent how lightweight
and forward looking the construction really is.
This has been possible only through 20 years of
experience acquired at the Audi lightweight
centre in Neckarsulm. The Audi A6 Sedan is built
not just from steel, as in many cars of its class,
but uses an aluminium hybrid design. It is a
lightweight technology that until now has been
mainly used only for sports car manufacture,
and with a reduced consumption that delivers
greater agility and thus increased efficiency.
Thanks to the aluminium hybrid design, lower
weights can be achieved across many areas of
the Audi A6. This begins with the chassis and
suspension. Aluminium components for parts
such as the steering, swivel bearing and wheel
carriers contribute enormously to weight
reduction. The bodywork is a further major area
for the use of aluminium. Aluminium is the
material used for the bodywork structure and
all attached elements. Doors, bonnet, luggage
compartment lid and wings are all constructed
from the rigid lightweight metal. Techniques
are used in the bodywork to enable varying
levels of thickness and material properties
within a single element. Material is then used
exactly where it is required – without
increasing weight in other areas. The result is
a sedan whose lower weight is clearly
noticeable: through a sporty agility as well as
through comparatively low fuel consumption
and CO₂ emissions.