It's What's Inside That Counts; US Steel Matters at The Chicago Auto Show

Here at ChiIL Mama, it was our great pleasure to cover the Chicago Auto Show for the 7th year, and to work with The Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI) on social media coverage and this sponsored post. 

Women of Steel: SMDI's Vice President, Automotive Market Jody Hall & Girls Guide to Cars' Scotty Reiss Give a Group of Social Media Influencers the Grand Tour at The Chicago Auto Show & the Scoop On Why Steel Matters.

In 2018 women are driving purchasing decisions in the vast majority of vehicle sales and making inroads in automotive manufacturing as well. I was thrilled to get the low down on steel from Jody Hall, Vice President, Automotive Market at SMDI and a Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Science and Engineering (GM Fellowship) University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Around 60 steel-intensive vehicles have debuted in the past year alone, and, Hall was co-lead on a project to develop an engineering model for third generation high-strength steel in conjunction with the Department of Energy and others. The steel industry has conducted studies proving steel emissions are significantly lower than other materials. 

“Her technical background in material science and engineering, as well as her focus on light-weighting, gave her a cutting edge on the issues facing the North American steel industry. The future is bright for young women who are looking into technical and manufacturing related career fields with women like Jody paving the way,” said Deanna Lorincz, senior director of communications at SMDI.

Dr. Jody Hall SMDI's VP, Automotive Market & Blogger Janelle from A Break 4 Mommy 

I was elated to learn my beloved Nissan Rogue is made of corrosion-resistant, high-strength steel, since steel is the most environmentally friendly automotive material on the planet. As a busy mom with active teens, most of the time I'm on the road is spent driving my children, so safety and durability matters as much to me as planet saving choices. My kids' future depends on it. It was great to meet women in the industry who understand that steel matters to millions of families on the road every day. Each vehicle designed is more than a car, it's protection and possibilities.



When you consider the ecological impact of "Lifecycle Emissions" from construction through the end of a vehicle's use, advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) is unbeatable. Since the 1970’s, the number of steel grades have grown from a few to more than 200 - and new generations of steel are being developed so automakers can use the right grade in the right application for exceptional occupant protection, strength and durability too.

What's inside counts! Are you curious to learn more about steel or have specific vehicle questions? Click here to keep up with the latest from The Steel Market Development Institute. SMDI is also active on Facebook (Steel Market Development Institute or /SMDISteel) and on Twitter via @DriveUsingSteel. Follow the hashtag #SteelMatters on social media like Twitter and Instagram.


STEEL INTENSIVE VEHICLES:



2018 Chevrolet Equniox
Composed of 11 percent high-strength steel and 31 percent ultra-strength steel 

2018 Chevrolet Traverse
Body-in-white is composed of 100% steel

2018 Honda Odyssey
A-, B- and C-pillars, roof rails, floor rails, front body area, and front subframe are composed of high-strength steel



2018 Hyundai Accent 
Composed of 54 percent high-strength steel 

2018 Kia Stinger
Composed of 55 percent advanced high-strength steel 



2018 Toyota Camry
High-strength steel intensive 

2018 Volkswagen Atlas
Built on Volkswagen’s Modular Transverse Matrix Platform, which is composed of steel 

2017 Buick Envision
Structure composed of high-strength steel

2017 Buick Lacrosse
Composed of 26 percent high-strength low-alloy steel, 23 percent mild steel, 16 percent ultra-high-strength steel, 15 percent advanced high-strength steel , 9 percent bake- hardenable steel and 8 percent press-hardened steel

2017 Chrysler Pacifica
Body structure is composed of 72 percent high-strength steel

2017 Ford Ecosport
Body structure is composed of more than 50% high-strength steel and ultra-high-strength steel



2017 Genesis G90
Body structure is composed of 52 percent advanced high-strength steel

2017 Honda Ridgeline
58 percent of the body structure is composed of advanced materials of which ultra-high- strength steel is 19 percent

2017 Jeep Compass
Composed of more than 65 percent high-strength steel 



2017 Nissan Rogue
Primary body material is corrosion-resistant and high-strength steel 

2017 Nissan Titan 
XDBody structure is composed of 58 percent high- and advanced high-strength steel

2017 Volvo S90
Body-in-white is composed of 33 percent ultra-high-strength steel while 20 percent of the structure is composed of very high-strength steel


Disclosure: It's our pleasure to work with SMDI and Girls Guide to Cars on this sponsored recap on the Chicago Auto Show. I have been compensated for sharing this information with my readers. As always, all opinions are my own.