Exatec Glazing Path to Future
Tom Murphy Ward's AutoWorld, Nov 1, 2009 12:00 PM

With weight reduction a top priority for every new-vehicle program, Sabic Innovative Plastics is aggressively marketing polycarbonate glazing as a way to boost fuel efficiency by replacing heavier conventional glass, while making a styling statement.

Sabic's Exatec LLC subsidiary collaborated with Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd. on a distinctive backlight for its compact “ix-onic” cross/utility vehicle concept at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show last spring.

The backlight is made of Exatec E900 glazing featuring Lexan GLX polycarbonate resin.

“CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) legislation in the United States and broader carbon-dioxide reduction targets in various automobile markets around the world are driving change,” Greg Adams, Sabic vice president-automotive, says at SPE Automotive's recent TPO Conference in suburban Detroit.

Early adopters of Exatec glazing on the road today include the Chevrolet Corvette (targa top), Honda Civic (integrated backlight and spoiler) and European SEAT Leon (rear-quarter window).

The latest application is a high-performance version of the Renault Megane, which needed to lose weight for the racetrack. The limited-edition Megane Renault Sport R26.R uses the existing 227-hp turbocharged engine.

Renault, working with its Tier 1 supplier Plastrance Corp., selected Sabic to provide Lexan polycarbonate sheet and a proprietary Exatec blackout ink technology to replace the glass backlight and rear-quarter windows of the production vehicle.

The high-performance R26.R weighs 275 lbs. (125 kg) less than the standard Megane R26, and the polycarbonate glazing, alone, shaved 12.6 lbs. (5.7 kg) by replacing traditional glass.

Adams says this project marks the first commercial use of Exatec ink technology.

Polycarbonate glazing is ideal for large panoramic roofs, which typically double the weight above the beltline vs. a traditional roof, requiring bolstered suspensions and other engineering changes to stabilize the vehicle, Adams says.

Exatec has its global headquarters and technology development center in Wixom, MI. The facility this year started producing a high-tech shield to protect transit operators in Toronto against assaults.