Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.a.

Rosario Iania

Gianfranco Del Nero

Bogdan Stoenescu

Marco Schierano

A motor-vehicle front structure includes a pair of longitudinal struts having front-ends to which two strut plates are secured. A front cross-member is located forwardly of the strut plates and has ends with two rearwardly facing crash-box plates connected to the front cross-member by two crash-box structures. The crash-box plates are connected to a lower auxiliary cross-member by two respective supports. A front-end unit for supporting one or more auxiliary motor-vehicle components has an upper cross-member and a lower cross-member. The crash-box plates are connected directly to the strut plates. The upper and lower cross-members of the front-end unit are made of elements which are separated from each other. The upper cross-member is connected directly to the crash-box plates, whereas the lower cross-member is connected directly to the supports, through which it is connected to the crash-box plates.

Motor-vehicle front structure with an improved front-end unit

A motor vehicle front end has a frame, which supports a heat exchanger and has an upper horizontal crosspiece connected to two uprights by means of connection elements, which are plastically deformable so as to allow the upper horizontal crosspiece to be lowered in the event of an accident; the upper horizontal crosspiece comprises a rigid rear portion and a plastically deformable, front portion which is made of plastic material and is fixed to the rigid rear portion.

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Frossasco, Italy

Rosario Iania