In my speeches and articles I often have commented that vehicle construction and therefore the collision repair of those vehicles is changing rapidly. I have used examples from Volkswagen and Volvo on the use of alloy-infused steels that save weight and are stronger than mild steel. Recently at the Detroit Auto Show, the belief that this is a phenomenon mostly limited to European and exotic cars seemed to change. A prime example is the Hyundai Elantra, which features advanced high-strength steel technologies and was voted the 2012 North American Car of the Year. This is a remarkable achievement for a fairly young car company.
I was in the collision repair industry when the original Hyundai Excel was launched, and it was anything but advanced. I remember helping a relative buy a car in the mid 1980s and she was drawn to the Hyundai showroom to look at the Excel by its incredibly low sticker price of $5,724. The only car cheaper than the Excel at that time was the Yugo, which had already earned a poor reputation. In fact, when I asked the Yugo salesman if he thought the car would last until it was paid off, he responded, "Yes, if you pay cash."
The Hyundai Excel had a better initial reputation, but the early cars did have reliability and construction problems. Remember the movie "Glengarry Glen Ross?" When asked why the sales reps should listen to him, the sales motivator from headquarters — played by Alec Baldwin — responds with the acidic line, "You know why, mister? Because you drove a Hyundai to get here tonight. I drove an $80,000 BMW." But Hyundai has become very advanced in their vehicle construction and can no longer be seen as low tech.
Hyundai engineers made class-leading weight efficiency and power to weight ratio as a high-level goal when designing this new Elantra. In fact, the new Elantra leads all of its competitors in power to weight ratio, delivering top-class performance and fuel economy. At a mere 2,701 pounds, the Elantra GLS, equipped with an automatic transmission, is lighter than its class competitors — the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Ford Focus. The company said the structural rigidity of the unibody is 50 percent stronger than the Corolla.
The technology doesn't stop at the vehicle structure. An all-new six-speed automatic transmission is 11 pounds lighter than Hyundai's previous five-speed automatic, and has 62 fewer parts used in its construction, making it simpler and more reliable. The Elantra's all-new engine (dubbed the 'Nu engine' by Hyundai) has an all-aluminum block with cast iron cylinder liners. This configuration means that the engine block is 30 percent, or 74 pounds lighter. The intake system employs a plastic two-stage variable intake manifold that allows switching between a short and long intake to boost overall performance. It is not only cheaper to manufacture, but offers a 30 percent reduction in weight, versus a comparable aluminum system.
Hyundai's air conditioning system is pretty high tech as well. The Elantra now uses 'double pipe' construction of the heat exchanging components, therefore maximizing the efficiency of the compressor and improving fuel economy.
The Hyundai Elantra's widespread use of advanced steel grades provide increased body stiffness at a lower body weight, allowing the suspension to work optimally. This weight-efficient steel unibody architecture allows the Elantra to achieve an estimated 40 mpg EPA highway rating.
The technical advances on this vehicle are meaningful because many shops feel they have ample time to invest in the necessary training and equipment needed to repair advanced metal construction. But as mainstream, reasonably priced cars increasingly have these technologies, the time is now to invest in your shop, starting with education. Purchase OEM repair procedure information from the carmaker or an information provider. Then make sure your technicians apply the knowledge to make the proper repair.
The last step would be marketing of these skills. The number of car dealers with on-site body shops has been shrinking, and they usually have a referral program in place to handle collision repair. Becoming one of the referred shops is one way that early preparation for the inevitable just may increase your bottom line.
