Posted on 07 Jan 2011
ArcelorMittal made its first major public push in
The world's largest steelmaker gathered industry media, including Steel Business Briefing, outside
Greg Ludkovsky, VP of global research and development, said ArcelorMittal plans in the next year or two to unveil another generation of new steels he believes could ultimately displace aluminum and other encroaching materials from the auto market.
"We get to the same weight as aluminum, at steel cost," Ludkovsky said of the new materials, adding the company is running trials on them now at research facilities in
He added, wryly, the developments "will significantly change the appetite for aluminum."
ArcelorMittal launched a major customer outreach program for S-in motion in
Ludkovsky conceded that other steelmakers are developing their own proprietary high-strength,
lightweight auto steels. However, "while others are struggling to get grams or pounds out" of overall vehicle weights, he said ArcelorMittal's S-in motion materials can lower total weight by about 57kg when fully integrated into a car's design and reduce emissions during the vehicle use phase by 6.23 grams of carbon dioxide/kilometer.
The next generation of S-in motion steels could shave off another 29kg, Ludkovsky said, likely on an at or near cost-neutral level.
