Locking mechanism for motor vehicles

A lock and key combination, comprising a locking cylinder and a key, said locking cylinder comprising a cylinder housing, at least one blocking channel, and a cylinder core in said cylinder housing, a key channel in said cylinder core, a plurality of tumblers mounted in said cylinder core, a tumbler axis provided for each of said tumblers so that each tumbler is tiltable about its own tumbler axis, at least one protruding cam or a recess on said key or on said tumblers for transforming a linear key motion in said key channel into a rotation of said tumblers about their axes, said key comprising a depression, said cylinder core comprising a recess including a through-hole opening toward said depression, a catch element mounted in said recess, said catch element comprising a spring web and a catch nose in said spring web, said catch nose projecting through said through-hole for cooperation with said depression in said key, whereby said spring web normally urges said catch nose into said depression, said key further comprising a metal key shaft having cut-outs and plastic key control elements recessed in said cut-outs for protecting said plastic key control elements.