Alcoa 1996 Annual Report Download - page 20

18
■Car & Driver “…It will be celebrated as a milestone
in automotive technology decades from now.”
■Motor Trend “The heart of the A8’s design is its
aluminum space frame, a masterpiece of structural
engineering that was developed in conjunction with
aluminum supergod Alcoa.”
■Autoweek “METALLURGICAL MARVEL…All that alu-
minum lightens the load so the engine can propel
this sleek package…from 0 to 60 mph in less than
seven seconds.”
■Cleveland Plain Dealer “The Audi A8 is challenging
traditional luxury-car gods…with the highest-tech
luxury car ever sold by Audi — or perhaps anyone
else.”
■The New York Times “An aluminum sculpture on
wheels, the A8…is a technological tour de force.
An innovative space frame borrows from aerospace
design and relies on 40 new patents and 7 new
aluminum alloys.”
■Cincinnati Enquirer “Audi A8 employs a revolutionary
aluminum space frame…that delivers extraordinary
weight savings with best-in-class safety, performance,
and comfort.”
■Road & Track “…The Audi Space Frame is 40 per-
cent sturdier than conventional unit-body structures.
Credit here goes to the chassis engineers, who
worked side-by-side with Alcoa…”
■Motor Trend “Aluminum: Considerably lighter
than steel…the earth-friendly recyclable material
that can be remolded into something as stunning
as the framework, bodyshell, engine componentry,
and even suspension parts of a fabulous luxo-sport
sedan. Meet the new king of the alloys: the high-
tech Audi A8.”
■Fort Worth Star-Telegram “Audi has developed a line
of cars for the latter ’90s that is among the best on
the planet.”
■Chicago Tribune “The 1997 Audi A8 rides and
handles like a charm…and comes with lightweight
aluminum frame and body panels to keep poundage
down while offering rust-free peace of mind.”
■The Washington Times “All the major break-
throughs…made their debuts on premium-priced
automobiles. This was proven once again when
Audi introduced its groundbreaking…aluminum
spaceframe…”
Rave Reviews
Audi A8 Is a Smash Hit
with U.S. Auto Editors
Already a major success in Europe,
the Audi A8 —the world’s first
all-aluminum spaceframe pro-
duction car —entered American
showrooms in October to near-
unanimous acclaim from automo-
tive writers across the country.
Audi and Alcoa collaborated to
develop the spaceframe that
contributes to the extraordinary
ride, handling, and passenger
safety of the A8. Alcoa produces
spaceframe components for the
A8 in Soest, Germany.