No more aluminum panels on Subaru

[quazi22]

TOKYO (XFN-ASIA) - Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd, manufacturer of the Subaru automobile brand, will discontinue the use of aluminum exterior panels for new or redesigned cars released after the year to March 2007, due to rising aluminum costs, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported, citing sources.

It said with aluminum prices doubling in the last four years, the company will substitute zinc-coated steel sheet.

Aluminum outer panels save weight and improve performance and fuel efficiency, and have been used on the Legacy midsize car, the Forester small SUV, and the Impreza sport sedan.


http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2006/12/24/afx3280775.html

[eN_2_Oh]

aww man WTF!!!

[RoMoCOP]

subaru selling out!?

:down:

[tha_W]

subaru selling out!?

:down:


god damn that steel industry!!!

[OneArmedScissor]

subaru selling out!?

:down:

aluminum is extremely expensive. As it is, the method of construction allows the use of thin skin panels. the zinc coated steel will actually be good as zinc is going to stay cool to the touch even in the summer. Lexus uses this on their cars.

They will still find a way to make the car light enough to compete.

As it is most of the car is built from Steel as far as I know.

gtg!

[al]

I'm concerned about the cost of aluminum having doubled in the last 4 years

[AltimaGTR]

They don't call themselves Fuji Heavy Industries for nothin'.

[super cirrus]

They don't call themselves Fuji Heavy Industries for nothin'.

womp womp.....

[AltimaGTR]

womp womp.....
I tried :-/

[Renaissanceman]

if you want to know why items like steel, aluminum and wood are getting expensive...its because of the chinese they are building crap like crazy, they are going through there industrial boom like we did in the early 1900's. so they are buying everything

[Beretta]

^ speaks the truth

aluminum is the most abundant metal on this earth, but if you have one country or region buying all up as its being dug out, you can't really do much.