Audi’s new A8 – stripping back aluminium to select steel

Back in 1994, Audi caused a stir in the automotive industry by launching the first mass-market car to use an all-aluminium chassis, which was called the Audi

Space Frame. This was co-developed with Alcoa – a global supplier that claims to have “invented the aluminium industry in 1888.”

The A8 also used an all-aluminium body-in-white (BiW) that was slated to achieve significant weight savings. However, Audi has since changed its tune, and has recently announced it will leverage new grades of high-strength steels on its next-generation A8.