The innovative steel from Hyundai, one of the keys to the new i30

Hyundai has developed a new steel that is stronger, more resistant and lighter. The compound has been introduced in the new generation of the Hyundai i30.

Hyundai is the only manufacturer in the world that produces its own steel for building its vehicles, which brings great advantages to all its models, including the new Hyundai i30. Steel is an element that decisively affects the safety, handling and energy efficiency of a car.

Hyundai understood more than a decade ago that to meet ever stricter emissions standards, and to set new benchmarks in safety and dynamic behaviour of its vehicles, it needed the best steel available: solid, high-strength, lightweight and at a reasonable price. The great secret of Hyundai Steel (the manufacturer’s steelworks) is that its new steel with a strength of 32 kilos can be moulded. This material offers a high elongation capacity – 43% – similar to that of less resistant steels. This is an extraordinary achievement, especially considering that the development of this steel has taken only three years, a third of the usual time in this industry.

The new i30 benefits from all the advantages of Hyundai steel. The amount of advanced high-strength steel has almost doubled compared with the previous generation and now stands at 53%. The new generation of the i30 has reduced the weight of its bodyshell by 28 kg compared with its predecessor. The rigidity of this model has also increased by 22%, which provides a high level of energy absorption in the event of an impact.

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“We manufacture our own steel not only for the price, but because we consider it a strategic advantage to control the quality of the vehicles we produce. Steel accounts for about 60% of a vehicle’s weight,” say from the development centre of Hyundai Steel in Dangjin.

Hyundai Steel has a team of more than 300 metallurgists and engineers whose sole objective is to develop new alloys and steel forming methods that allow Hyundai cars to reach their targeted weight and safety goals. From its plant in Dangjin (South Korea) come numerous patents and new types of steel designed to get the maximum performance from every part of the vehicle.

Source: Newspress

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HatchbackHyundai i3012 versions · from 29,250 €