IDEAL Executive Responds to MEGA Cabin Cover Not Using Aluminum: It's Not Cutting Corners, But Protecting Pedestrians

Sohu Technology News August 12, IDEAL automobile product line responsible person Tang Jing posted on Weibo yesterday explaining why MEGA makes the most expensive four doors out of aluminum, but the regular cabin cover and wing panels are not made of aluminum. Tang Jing claims that this is actually for protecting pedestrians, rather than cutting corners.

Tang Jing notes that making car doors out of aluminum requires a very high investment, not just single-car costs but also production line investments, which amount to several million yuan. The weight reduction effect is generally low, and there's little user value, so it's rarely used in the industry.

Tang Jing explains that making the cabin cover out of aluminum technology is very mature, but MEGA's cabin cover is not made of aluminum. It's not cutting corners; if you're going to cut corners, why wouldn't you cut them on the four side doors? In fact, it's because the front cabin cover and wing panels need to meet the requirements for pedestrian protection set by G+ high-level safety certification.

Tang Jing explains that if a car crashes into a pedestrian and the pedestrian falls back and hits their head on the cabin cover, if the cabin cover is made of aluminum because its material properties are inferior to steel, it requires leaving enough space beneath the cabin cover. But MEGA's car has a very short hood, with maximum interior space and a high-riser design, so there's little room left beneath the cabin cover. To ensure G+ pedestrian protection certification, the cabin cover had to be made of steel, as well as the wing panels, which also require consideration for pedestrian protection. Weight reduction would have to seek alternative methods.