Yet the car's body is 25% stiffer than its predecessor because key parts of the frame--like the center post that supports the car body during side collisions and the roof side rail that connects the sides of the roof--are made of ultra-high-strength steel created through a process called hot stamping.
And speaking of things that go, the U.S. auto industry may in fact offer President Obama the only dependable port in a re-gathering economic storm when car makers post their August sales results early next week: Prognosticators believe the sales snapshot will show an auto industry that is still strongly on track toward its third consecutive year of double-digit sales gains.