Safety
Reduction in the number of deaths and serious injury is mandated by Government Policy. The technology developments highlighted in this section will lead to reduction in the effect of accidents by the use of materials and structures better able to mitigate the effects of road traffic accidents to all those involved.

Environment
Waste. UK and European legislation on waste management and control, such as the EU End-of Life Vehicle Directive, already places restrictions on the use and development of materials. The proportion of re-useable and recycled components in vehicles has to increase, and design for disassembly becomes important. Environmental management of materials, structures and components is required from concept to end-of life.
Emissions. The UK is committed to international protocols targeting significant reduction in the emission of greenhouse gasses such as CO2 to combat the perceived threat of global warming and its consequences. The development and use of lightweight materials and structures is a key enabler for reducing the energy requirements for the propulsion of vehicles. Also, advances in materials and coating technologies will aid friction reduction, leading to improved efficiencies.

Economic
With industry facing major economic challenges, the need to improve profitability and achieve better returns on investment is highly important. Developments in materials and structures could enable the introduction of highly modular, flexible platforms. They may also contribute to low investment manufacturing systems for low volume production.

Customer Choice
The techniques and technologies covered in the section will allow more customer choice through their impact on modular structures capable of use over a wide range of vehicle platforms.