Audi To Lightweight Its Vehicles With Glass-Fibre-Reinforced Suspension Springs

The automobiles of the future are getting lighter - a trend referred to as "light-weighting" thanks to government standards that aim to increase fuel efficiency to 54.5/mpg by model year 2025. Audi recently announced its own lightweighting strategy to put some of its models on a diet that will trim almost 10lb - from a perhaps unlikely source. The German automobile manufacturer says that traditional steel suspension system springs are out - and lightweight composite springs are in. The new glass fibre reinforced polymer composite will save about 2.5lb per spring, a 40% weight reduction over steel springs.