Range Rover Evoque, 2012 North American Truck of the Year

Feb. 21, 2012 - PRLog -- Multiple lightweight, cutting-edge components, with advanced thermoplastic resins from SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business, are featured on the recently announced 2012 North American Truck of the Year:  The Range Rover Evoque by Land Rover. The award was presented to Land Rover this month at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The luxurious new sport utility vehicle (SUV), with its compact footprint and advanced technologies, has been described by automaker Land Rover as a “step change in delivering reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions,” underscoring the benefits and fast-increasing value of SABIC’s lightweight and environmentally responsible materials.

“Being named North American Truck of the Year is a significant accomplishment for the 2012 Range Rover Evoque and SABIC congratulates Land Rover for this truly outstanding achievement,” said Gregory Adams, vice president, Automotive, Innovative Plastics. “We are proud to have supported this valued customer in reaching their ambitious goal of creating the lightest and most fuel-efficient Range Rover in the company’s history with many of the most advanced thermoplastic technologies that SABIC has to offer.”

According to Land Rover’s estimates, the Range Rover Evoque is capable of 28 highway miles per gallon (EPA). The automaker drew from a range of SABIC’s broad portfolio of advanced lightweight materials to make the Evoque the lightest Range Rover ever at 3,900 lbs.

Materials Solutions for Greater Sustainability, Extreme Performance

The following are major application areas using SABIC’s advanced materials:

•   Front fenders:  molded from lightweight Noryl GTX* resin to reduce weight by 2.9 kg vs. metal for better fuel economy and, in turn, cut carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 30 kg over the vehicle’s life. Noryl GTX resin also delivers high impact resistance and high temperature resistance up to 200C. The resin also optimizes design freedom, reduces costs and improves quality. Parts molded from Noryl GTX resin can be online painted along with the metal Body-In-White (BIW), avoiding the need for secondary operations and ensuring a perfect color match. This conductive resin does not require a primer step prior to painting.
•   Fuel filler door:  made from Noryl GTX resin. As with the fenders, this part can be painted online along with the rest of the BIW. This streamlined approach avoids quality issues and improves aesthetics.

•   Pedestrian energy absorber:  molded from Xenoy iQ* resin. This environmentally progressive material contains a significant percentage of upcycled post-consumer waste such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) water bottles, helping to divert them from landfills. Xenoy iQ resin reduces weight to help improve fuel economy and cut emissions, while also providing efficient energy-absorption countermeasures to meet pedestrian protection and low-speed vehicle damageability requirements.
•   Instrument panel and inner door modules:  molded from STAMAX® LGFPP (long glass fiber-filled polypropylene). This SABIC product enabled designers to create strong, lightweight parts offering higher stiffness and lower density vs. competitive materials. In addition to weight-out benefits, these materials demonstrate excellent mold flow, which means less material is needed to deliver equivalent stiffness and strength.
•   Mirror system with molded-in color:  made from Geloy* resin for its high flexural modulus and low vibration for image stability, good wear characteristics, high heat resistance and impact strength. Geloy resins are highly weatherable, offering exceptional durability in some of the harsh outdoor environments that the Evoque is made for. Molded-in black color provides a dramatic design statement without the need for secondary painting.

Land Rover’s work with SABIC goes back to the design of the acclaimed LRX concept car, the vehicle upon which the Range Rover Evoque is based. Consistent with the LRX concept, SABIC gave Land Rover a wide selection of high-quality, innovative material options to choose from to help the automaker meet its goal of delivering one of the most efficient and environmentally responsible vehicles in its class, while also bringing the levels of luxury and performance customers expect from a new Range Rover.

For additional information on SABIC’s automotive solutions, please go to www.sabic-ip.com or www.sabicautomotive.com. For technical product inquiries, please contact us at www.sabic-ip.com/prtechinquiry.