Introducing the 2019 Altair Enlighten Award Winners

September 12, 2019

We are proud to announce the winners of the 2019 Altair Enlighten Award, the automotive industry’s only award dedicated to vehicle lightweighting. Presented annually in conjunction with the 2019 CAR Management Briefing Seminars (MBS), the award honors the year’s greatest achievements in vehicle weight savings and is given in four categories: Full Vehicle, Module, Enabling Technology, and The Future of Lightweighting.

Since its inception seven years ago, the award offers nominees the opportunity to be recognized internationally as leaders in the effort to reduce vehicle weight, meet emissions targets and inspire new ideas to achieve innovation as we all work towards a greener future.

Chosen among 60 entries, the seven winners of the 2019 award were presented the award by Altair’s Richard Yen, SVP, and global automotive business lead at a dinner reception hosted by Altair at the Garvey Barn in Williamsburg, Michigan.

Following are the winners in each category:

Full Vehicle Low Volume Production Winner

Ferrari – 2018 Portofino Body-In-White

80kg lighter
35% stiffer than the California T
Developments to be extended to the rest of the product portfolio

Full Vehicle High Volume Production Winner

FCA US LLC - 2018 Jeep Wrangler

92kg lighter than previous generation
Minimized Manufacturing Impact
51kg lighter body system

Module Winner

ZF - Knee Airbag Fabric Housing

30% weight savings
Smaller than all other existing modules
Lowest market cost

Module Runner-Up

Continental Structural Plastics, General Motors 2019 GMC Sierra - CARBONPRO Pickup Box

62lb of mass saved
Eliminates the need for paint or bed liner
Lower cost and minimal waste in manufacturing

Enabling Technology Winner

Material Sciences Corporation - MSC Smart Steel

Engineered for high stiffness to weight ratio
Fiber reinforced polymer core with metal skins
35% overall density reduction compared with monolithic steel

Enabling Technology Runner-Up

DSM Engineering Plastics, General Motors, Cikautxo Group, HENN GmbH & Co KG - 2019 Cadillac XT4 Hot Charge Duct

35% mass reduction
20% cost reduction
Reduced the number of working parts from 11 to 5

Future of Lightweighting Winner

Alba Tools & Engineering, CSI Entwicklungstechnik, Automotive Management Consulting GmbH - #ULTRALEICHTBAUSITZ

20% weight savings
7-month timeline from idea to prototype
Innovative use of Xfk in 3d™

“Taking the Altair Enlighten Award in the full vehicle category for the Portofino BIW is a fantastic result for Ferrari. We have a dedicated group of engineers who constantly strive to achieve the most ambitious technical objectives the company sets, so this award honors their achievements.”

Michael Leiters, CTO, Ferrari (2019 winner)

“We are immensely proud of the work we did on the one-of-a-kind Jeep Wrangler. We are also grateful to Altair for recognizing engineering achievement, in general. Thoughtful, disciplined engineering unlocks innovation. And innovation moves the world forward.”

Rob Wichman, interim head of product development, FCA North America (2019 winner)

“We were honored to receive the Altair Enlighten Award this year and would like to thank the judges for recognizing the efforts of the team that worked on the i8. It’s clear that additive manufacturing has huge lightweight potential for vehicle designers when combined with the power of optimization technologies. Getting a 3D printed part onto a mass-produced vehicle would have been unheard of until very recently but with this success, we have an opportunity to make the process part of our standard design and manufacturing approach.”

Maximilian Meixlsperger, head of additive manufacturing metal at BMW Group (2018 winner)

“We are excited to offer closure systems that are optimized to the unique mission of each vehicle. With CFRP applied to the Prius Prime liftgate and the Lexus LC side doors and luggage hatch, our customers recognize the light touch and high-tech appearance of these sophisticated, lightweight door systems. Our entire development team is honored to receive this coveted award.”

JP Flaharty, executive program manager at Toyota Motor North America Research & Development (2017 winner)

“The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica is a testament to our team’s engineering capability. It’s not only lighter than the vehicle it replaced; it’s longer, wider and more efficient. The Pacifica has also earned superior safety ratings and widespread media acclaim. We are proud to add the Altair Enlighten Award to our list of team achievements.”