Automotive industry's first award dedicated to light-weighting

6323 Altair, a leading provider of simulation technology and engineering services to the world's automakers, has announced what it claims is the automotive industry's first award programme created specifically to acknowledge innovations in vehicle light-weighting, thereby improving fuel economy and performance.

The inaugural Altair Enlighten Award, presented in collaboration with the 6317 Centre for Automotive Research (CAR), will recognise achievements in weight reduction across the automotive industry from motorcycles to passenger cars, light-trucks to commercial vehicles and buses. Achievements demonstrating the merits of a mixed material lightweighting solution will be encouraged.

The award aligns with the goals of CAR's Coalition for Automotive Lightweighting Materials (CALM) initiative the purpose of which is to support the cost-effective integration of mixed materials to achieve significant reductions in vehicle mass through the collaborative efforts of the material sectors and auto manufacturers. The award will be open to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), systems/parts suppliers and materials suppliers from all automotive industry segments.

Applications for the 2013 Altair Enlighten Award will be accepted from Nov. 1, 2012 to Jan. 31, 2013. Finalists will be interviewed in February and March 2013. Winners will be announced in August 2013. The judging panel for the award will be formed with industry and academic leaders as well as CAR and Altair representatives.