July 31, 2017, Auburn Hills, Mich. – FCA US LLC’s 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan has won the full-vehicle category in the fifth annual Altair Enlighten Awards for innovation in automotive light-weighting.
Engineers blended high-strength steels, aluminum, and magnesium to craft a body structure that is 168 pounds lighter than that of the minivan model it replaced in FCA US showrooms. The total vehicle weight differential is nearly 250 pounds.
“The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica is a testament to our team’s engineering capability,” said Phil Jansen, Head of Product Development – FCA North America. “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 its list of team achievements.”
Weight reduction is a key contributor to improved fuel economy. In highway driving, the all-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica earns a best-in-class rating of 28 miles per gallon (mpg) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Its combined city/highway rating of 22-mpg is unsurpassed in the minivan segment, while the all-new vehicle’s unique construction also benefits the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid.
With an EPA rating of 84 miles-per-gallon-equivalent (MPGe), Pacifica’s electrified twin rewrote the record books as the industry’s most efficient minivan of all time.
Against this backdrop, the Pacifica – which is longer and wider and seats one additional occupant, compared with its predecessor – earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, along with a five-star crash rating from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Among the innovative aspects of the new Pacifica’s design is its tailor-welded-blank door structure, which utilizes ultra high-strength hot-stamped steel, and its hydro formed load beams, also made from ultra high-strength steel. These and other advances enhance crash-worthiness and contribute to the torsional stiffness that is 88 percent greater than that of the vehicle it replaces.
In addition, the all-new Pacifica minivan also makes strategic use of aluminum. Its hood and sliding doors are made of the lightweight material.
Further, Pacifica’s liftgate comprises an aluminum outer panel bonded to a cast-magnesium inner panel – one of the largest cast-magnesium automotive components in high-volume production. The combination of the two materials contributes to weight savings of 18.5 pounds per vehicle.
With today’s presentation of the Altair Enlighten Award at CAR’s Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan, the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica and Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid have received a combined total of more than 50 honors, including North American Utility Vehicle of the Year.