PHOTO: The Volkswagen Group is using the front end carrier made from the BASF plastic Ultramid in the new Passat and Sharan models

THE world's first front end carrier without metal reinforcement has now leapt across the platforms: The Volkswagen Group is using the front end carrier made from the BASF plastic Ultramid® in the new Passat and Sharan models – after the integration in the Golf VII where in 2013 a polypropylene/steel hybrid part was replaced with an all-plastic part made from Ultramid® B3WG8 and with BASF's comprehensive simulation service.

In this way, BASF's polyamide 6 helps to ensure that also these two front end carriers are considerably lighter than the previous models and save installation time as well as costs. The globally available polyamide 6 grade is manufactured at certified production sites with process-oriented quality management. BASF thus meets the requirements that car manufacturers have in terms of cost efficiency, reliable supply, and flexibility.

The new Passat has been named the European ‘Car of the Year’ 2015 thanks to its innovations regarding safety, The front end carrier in the Passat is the largest polyamide part in the vehicle and weighs around 2.6kg. The Ultramid B3WG8 used is reinforced with 40% glass fibres and boasts an excellent combination of fatigue and endurance strength. This means that the plastic part shows the correct dynamic stiffness at defined locations and also meets the car maker's specifications for crash acceleration and vibration behaviour of the whole front end and radiator system.

www.ultramid.de