To showcase its capabilities, global automotive supplier Magna International Inc. will showcase the MILA Blue vehicle concept at the Geneva Motor Show 2014. MILA Blue is a natural-gas powered, A-segment lightweight vehicle that produces less than 49g CO₂/km.

MILA Blue, the seventh concept vehicle in the MILA family, represents a new lightweight design approach. Realized through a combination of an optimized vehicle architecture and lightweight design concepts as well as novel materials and joining technologies, MILA Blue achieves a weight savings of 300 kg (661 lbs) compared to typical current A-segment vehicles.
As the automotive industry continues to look for ways to become more environmentally friendly, Magna continues to leverage its engineering expertise to bring our customers solutions that meet their challenges. MILA Blue underscores our technological competence in lightweight construction and alternative drives, which help answer the demands of global CO₂ reduction.

MILA Blue’s weight-reduction results from an engineering concept that rests on three pillars:

• Functional integration—for example, replacing plastic interior trim with structural parts suitably designed with laminable, visually attractive surfaces.
• Material substitution—multi-material approach including aluminum, magnesium and composite materials to deliver cost-effective, innovative lightweight modules.
• Downsizing—leveraging smaller, lighter components while at the same time maintaining function and performance.

MILA Blue uses a compressed natural gas hybrid drive that achieves a carbon footprint of less than 49g CO₂/km. Refueling with biogas instead of fossil-derived natural gas can bring about an additional improvement in the carbon footprint to 2/km.

The combustion engine is coupled with an automatic manual transmission and a belt-driven starter generator. Due to the vehicle’s comparatively light weight, crawling along in stop-and-go traffic and cruising up to 30 km/h (18.6 mph) can be done electrically using power from the vehicle’s 12V-based electric motor and start-stop system.