Michelin throws down weight reduction gauntlet

Michelin North America has opened registrations for the 2013 Michelin Challenge Design competition and announced that this latest round will address weight reduction through design – a subject the tyre maker says is “becoming a new battleground in the struggle for increasing fuel efficiency.” Participants in the 2013 Michelin Challenge Design, which is titled ‘Half! Lightweight with a Passion’, have been set the task of exploring lightweight vehicle development by designing a family vehicle.

Through the 2013 challenge, Michelin says it is looking to “bring forward passionate designs that employ innovative vehicle architecture for weight reduction, without compromising safety or comfort.” Submitted vehicle designs must meet consumer demands for safety and comfort, be usable on the current road infrastructure and be feasibly produced using materials, powertrain solutions or manufacturing solutions that are in use today or in development for use in the foreseeable future. Successful designs will be those that drive desire for vehicle ownership or usage while contributing to lightweight vehicle development through choices of materials and using the most-effective manufacturing techniques. Michelin notes that more than ever before, successful design requires closer cooperation with engineering, manufacturing and planning.

“As an industry, we’ve come to an interesting crossroad,” commented said John Moloney, Michelin’s vice-president of original equipment marketing for North and South America. “Consumers and governments are pushing for dramatic gains in fuel efficiency as the automotive industry is designing and developing lightweight next-generation vehicles. We look forward to seeing how participants in the 2013 Michelin Challenge Design will respond to these concerns.”