In our interviews with various managers at Fiat Group Automobiles the key word is “evolution”, referring not only to materials but also to the relationship with SSAB Swedish Steel.

The three managers of Fiat Group Automobiles we meet in Turin are very straightforward.  Although they operate in different sectors (Body Engineering and Design, Materials Engineering, and Purchasing), they all agree on the fact that the traditional customer-supplier relationship between steel makers and car manufacturers has developed into something completely new. 

The co-operation between Fiat Group Automobiles and SSAB Swedish Steel started with the side-collision bar for the first version of the Punto; a model of which  was even displayed in Borlänge, Sweden, (the headquarters of SSAB Tunnplåt) in an exhibition called   ‘’Sweden in Italy’’.

Since then, says Giancarlo Bertoldi, Director for Interiors Engineering and Design of Fiat Group Automobiles, the use of high-strength steels in Fiat cars has increased tremendously, especially since the second version of the Punto. In all these years, these materials have undergone a huge evolution and this accounts for their greater use in the Grande Punto: from 28 percent to 67 percent! This means that, today, a good portion of the car body is made of high-strength steel. Better still, 17 percent is extra and ultra high-strength steel.