Magna debuts active air dam on 2019 Ram pickup
Canadian Plastics
Canadian PlasticsThe air dam, which redirects airflow to reduce drag and improve fuel economy, is said to be the first of its kind on a high-volume production vehicle.
Ontario-based automotive parts supplier Magna International Inc. used the occasion of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit to show off an active air dam launching on the 2019 Ram 1500 pickup truck.
The 2019 Ram 1500 is said to be the first high-volume vehicle to feature an active air dam.
The air dam deploys automatically to redirect air around the vehicle and provide emissions and fuel-economy improvements. Aurora, Ont.-based Magna claims that it is the first of its kind on a high-volume production vehicle.
“Combined with Magna’s active grille shutter, the aero system on the 2019 Ram achieves an estimated 7 per cent drag reduction and 1 mile per gallon fuel savings on the highway,” said Grahame Burrow , president of Magna Exteriors.
Across the Ram truck fleet, the active aero system is expected to save an estimated 10 million gallons of fuel annually, he added.
The Ram’s active aero systems are driven by smart actuators and power systems developed in-house by Magna’s closures unit. The actuators communicate directly with the vehicle’s control systems and ensure the aero systems deploy correctly, based on vehicle inputs such as speed, temperature and drive mode.
Magna’s active aerodynamic expertise has grown significantly in recent years with more than 10 million active grille shutter systems on the road. Additional product innovations include active underbodies, active wheel deflectors and active rear diffusers, which can be applied across all vehicles from small cars to commercial trucks.
