In recent years, the automotive industry has been facing increasingly stringent requirements in terms of CO₂ emissions reduction, passenger safety and cost-effective lightweighting. Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) are key enablers for body-in-white applications, especially when high crashworthiness and mass reduction must be simultaneously achieved. Among them, 3rd Generation AHSS represent a promising solution thanks to their improved strength–ductility balance.
Within the European RFCS project Sup3rForm, a comprehensive multi-scale and multi-disciplinary investigation has been carried out to assess the potential of 3rd Generation AHSS for structural automotive components.
MA is involved in industrial validation with the production of an automotive component, currently produced with 1st generation of AHSS and a full development of a prototype.
Prototype demonstrators were manufactured and tested, confirming the industrial feasibility of cold-formed 3rd Generation AHSS as alternatives to conventional solutions, achieving a weight reduction in the range of 10–20% while maintaining or improving structural and crash performance.
The work presented at Car Body Parts 2026 demonstrates how an integrated material-to-component approach can accelerate the safe and efficient implementation of 3rd Generation AHSS in future lightweight vehicle architectures.
Car Body Parts 2026 | Automotive-Circle
