Honda and Ultra-high Strength Steel

At Honda, they have significantly upped the amount of high-strength steels used in the new Acura MDX, from 13 percent of the structure to 56.3 percent, including grades 780 and 980, which are in the ultra high-strength steel category. Honda also published results on the use of advanced- and ultra high-strength steels in the basic body-in-white for the RDX and CRV. The body-in-white constitutes 30 percent of the vehicle curb weight in this case:

• AHSS will provide the same or better impact resistance as mild steel with one step lower gauge (thickness) providing a typical 13 percent reduction in mass.
• UHSS will provide better crash impact resistance than mild steel with two steps lower gauge (thickness) providing a typical 24 percent reduction in mass.
• The composite average of AHSS and UHSS regarding reduction in mass is typically 15 percent.

More info here: http://www.sprottmoly.com/pdf/UHSS.pdf