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The 2010 BMW 5 Series Will Use Steel Chassis

BMW will abandon the partially aluminum chassis used on the current 5er in favor of an all steel construction for the model set to launch next year, according to autocar.co.uk. The measure will be taken by the German manufacturer for economic reasons, as an all steel chassis is easier and cheaper to produce.

The current version of the 5 Series uses an aluminum frame in the front, bonded to the steel rear end of the chassis. Used this way, the chassis provides better weight distribution and also cuts overall weight of the vehicle.

BMW will drop this configuration because it proved to be too costly and somewhat hard to produce in large quantities. “It was an expensive solution and troubling to perfect in large-scale production,” an insider told the aforementioned source.

The new steel chassis will also help, thanks to special techniques used in processing the steel, like mixing metal with other composites, will help the steel lighter than usual, while maintaining its strength, bmwblog.com reported.

The new policy will also take its toll on the 7 series, as the car builder decided to drop plans for a bi-metal chassis on this range as well. This is obvious in the new 7 Series was the first model to give up the part aluminum chassis.

Coming back to the 5 Series, the choice of a one metal construction becomes clear on the 5 Series GT concept. The vehicles structure is all steel, a clear sign of what BMW intends to do with the next 5er.

Release of the 2010 5 series is a little over a year away, so we will have to way and see what the changes did to the car's performance. The sedan version of the 2010 model is to be seen in showrooms starting May of next year, with the station wagon version set to appear in October.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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