Is the bumper made of plastic or iron?
2 Answers
The bumper is made of plastic material. Here are the reasons: 1. Cost control: Replacing steel bumpers with plastic ones significantly reduces costs and facilitates production. 2. Achieving lightweight: A vehicle that is too heavy inevitably increases fuel consumption requirements and emissions, which is harmful to the environment. With increasingly stringent regulations on vehicle emissions, reducing the weight of the car body is essential. This is a development trend in the automotive industry, and designing bumpers with plastic not only improves fuel economy but also enhances performance. 3. Pedestrian protection: Plastic bumpers have elasticity, providing better impact absorption and cushioning capabilities compared to steel plates. 4. Corrosion resistance: Plastic has inherent advantages over metal. Metal reacts with water and air, leading to rust and corrosion, which affects the car's appearance. Plastic, on the other hand, has excellent corrosion resistance, eliminating concerns about rust. 5. Self-repair function: Minor scratches and bumps from daily driving have little impact on plastic bumpers. Their inherent elasticity allows for self-repair, leaving only minor marks.
In the past, car bumpers were indeed made of metal, rigid and hard, giving a sense of safety when driving but actually causing severe injuries to pedestrians. Back when I worked at an auto repair shop, I saw many accidents involving older cars, where metal bumpers left deep scars like steel spikes when hitting people. Nowadays, new cars use plastic materials, such as polypropylene, which are lightweight and help me save on fuel costs. They can also deform during low-speed collisions to absorb impact and protect pedestrians. I remember helping a neighbor repair his car a decade ago—his plastic bumper got scratched, and we just sanded and repainted it. If it had been metal, the entire bumper would have needed replacement at a high cost. Automakers made this change not just to save money but also to prioritize safety, especially in urban areas with high pedestrian traffic—plastic bumpers are truly thoughtful design.
