6.7.2006
Zafira hood wins German Steel Innovation Award

A big success for the GM engineering team and also external proof for GM's engineering expertise: The Zafira hood won one of the highly regarded Steel Innovation Awards from the German Steel Innovation Center.

In the category of steel products the cross-functional Zafira development team was able to completely convince the jury: The new Zafira's hood is much lighter than that of the predecessor model and also meets the strict EU guidelines for improved pedestrian protection.

High functionality, low weight and favorable production costs are basic requirements for modern automotive development. A thin-sheet-technology steel hood was developed for the new Zafira that exactly met all of those requirements and actually, exceeded expectations by far. Without paint, it weighs about 10.8 kilograms, making it 30 percent lighter than the comparable hood of the predecessor.

Furthermore, the structure attributes have been substantially improved. That also leads to a more efficient production flow with fewer operations, which results in a cost-neutral production compared to the former Zafira.