BMW 2009 Annual Report Download - page 222

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7 8
46
Why does better safety have to mean
more weight?
Jochen Esmann, head of Lightweight Construction and Vehicle Weight
The history of automobile manufacturing is one of steady improvements in safety and
comfort. That is a good thing – and important, too. All the same, every additional airbag
and every increase in crash safety automatically means more weight and therefore
requires more fuel.
At least, that is how it was until a few years ago: Now we have begun to reverse the
upward spiral in weight. What does a vehicle need to be able to do? And what should
that feature be allowed to weigh? Which lightweight materials, new kinds of vehicle
topology and combined functions will allow the required features to be realised at the
lowest possible weight? Questions like these accompany us throughout the entire
development process. They are uncomfortable, difficult questions with no easy answers.
But they help us develop vehicles that offer considerably more comfort and safety for
relatively few extra kilos.
Weight
Thanks to a lightweight construction strategy
implemented consistently throughout
1.4 t