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Case Study

Cadillac CT6

Situation

Striving to design a lighter, safer and more fuel-efficient vehicle, General Motors  (GM) needed an original approach to designing the 2016 Cadillac CT6 sedan. While aluminum use in SUVs and trucks had seen great success, GM sought to use the lightweight material in a high-volume sedan—proving aluminum could be both cost effective and fuel-efficient for any size vehicle.

In addition, GM needed a global supplier to meet the demands of a dual-region vehicle point of sale. Because the new Cadillac CT6 would be manufactured at their Detroit-Hamtramck plant in the U.S., and their Shanghai, China plant, GM needed a supplier capable of providing the same high-quality material across multiple geographies. After conducting extensive research on global supply capabilities, various materials, parts and joining technologies, Novelis was selected as the lead global aluminum supplier for the aluminum-intensive, mixed-material vehicle. This new mixed-material construction would be the first of its kind for GM in both North America and China, making cutting-edge manufacturing solutions and techniques critical to vehicle design and production.

Challenge

Designers and engineers faced a new challenge in manufacturing the advanced mixed-material vehicle structure for the Cadillac CT6. The complex range of materials required a new proprietary spot welding technology to increase strength and efficiencies without sacrificing performance. In addition, GM needed these materials to be strong enough to withstand the laser welding, flow drill fasteners and self-piercing rivets typically reserved for steel body types.

Process

Our engineers worked in partnership with GM to ensure that Novelis aluminum products were specifically designed to enable the diverse vehicle applications, and joining and welding processes.

Along with 11 different materials, Novelis’ 5xxx and 6xxx series aluminum alloys were chosen for the outer panels, closures, and front and rear structure due to their excellent strength-to-weight ratio, versatility and superior energy-absorbing characteristics.

Using the most efficient materials and advanced manufacturing techniques enabled the Cadillac CT6 to meet the highest standards in vehicle build quality while reducing fuel consumption and enhancing safety and driving dynamics.

Results

By successfully combining multiple, different joining methods, the GM team overcame preceding manufacturing difficulties involving the joining of dissimilar materials and optimized the Cadillac CT6 for mass and safety with more precision than ever.

The result was a mixed-material, luxury sedan featuring one of the industry’s most advanced automotive body structures, generating excellent driving characteristics and impressive fuel economy without compromises to safety, comfort or quality.

Approximately 220 pounds lighter than comparable vehicles using high-strength steel due to its 62 percent aluminum body by weight, the Cadillac CT6 is an excellent example of the future of vehicle body design.