Ford brings 'green' touch to luxury car

US automaker Ford Motor Co recently announced its Lincoln MKT concept car, which features a body with plastic panels made up of 85% post-consumer recycled materials. Most of the MKT's body panels include the Xenoy iQ polycarbonate/polybutylene terephthalate resin from Sabic Innovative Plastics. This equals to utilizing 2000 reused PET bottles. The MKT is 104 lbs lighter with the use of the recycled polyester compared to standard materials, and is easier to shape because of added flexibility. Polycarbonate was large used for the car's back window, roof and windscreen. To enlarge wear, the plastic was mixed up with a glazing system from Exatec LLC, a Sabic subsidiary. Certain components of the car that consumers will not see, like electrical wires and connectors, are also made of plastics, including the Valox iQ. Sabic's Xenoy was previously used in the body panels of General Motors Corp's Volt electric car concept and Hyundai Motor Co's QarmaQ crossover concept.