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.

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.