Kia's 2016 Car of the Year Candidate Loaded with AHSS

Check out the secret behind the body structure of the all-new Kia Optima, which uses more than 51 percent advanced high-strength steel (AHSS). That represents a 150-percent increase over the previous model. The vehicle is one of 10 finalists for 2016 North American Car of the Year, as voted on by the Automotive Press Association.

As noted in a 1-min. YouTube video, manufacturing the new car body employs hot stamping of components in 16 core stress areas—a 350-percent increase over the previous model. Included in the video are crash tests comparing structure performance with traditional steel grades, AHSS grades and hot-stamped steels.

Technologies: Materials

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