Modem Automobiles - What's under the Paint?

Abstract

The modern mass produced automobile is a remarkable device, much more reliable, safe and comfortable than the cars of the past. Almost every user is aware that electrification, use of computer chips and lead-free fuel have played their parts in the development of the modern automobile, but relatively few are aware that the body of the car has likewise been changed by modern developments. What is under the paint is mostly metal, but of what kind is it? This article traces the history of the motor car body from the time when space frame technology allowed many automobile manufacturers to coexist to the present day when the all-welded uni-body is dominant and there are significantly fewer car companies. Weight saving is a continuing theme in the article, and such is the competitive pressure for lighter, stronger and safer vehicles that none of the materials used in a car body have been in existence for more than 15 years. The article considers the competing claims of plastics, aluminum and steel, and concludes that the material under the paint of a modern automobile is most likely to be steel, a situation which is unlikely to change in the near future.