Alcoa to Supply Forged Wheels for Chevrolet Cruze Eco

Alcoa Wheels, recently won the right to supply the wheel program for the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco in the USA. The Chevrolet team awarded the contract after pursuing a wheel providing light weight performance that would further extend fuel economy for the Cruze Eco. The development team of the wheel focused on design, engineering and production techniques to lower the overall weight of the wheel.

Forged aluminum wheels provide increased strength and durability gains and are typically greater than 20 per cent lighter than a comparable cast aluminium wheel. The seventeen-inch wheels fitted to the Cruze Eco weigh just 8.07 kg. According to Chevrolet this latest vehicle (when equipped with a manual six-speed transmission) can achieve an estimated 5.88 l/100km “on the highway”, which is a segment-leading fuel consumption figure in the US.

According to Alcoa, in Europe the race for weight reduction by car makers has prompted an increased demand for forged wheels. With their significant weight reduction than their cast aluminium counterparts and with tightening EU emissions targets the OEMs are increasing their demand. As a result, demand is projected to further rise significantly with many car platforms expected to adopt this technology in the coming years.

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