“Lighting” the way for bodies

Alcan says the most common alternative metal for body applications, aluminum, can be used as a stand-alone material or integrated with steel.

Weight reduction, design freedom, lower production runs, legislative measures regarding fuel economy and emissions, and safety regulations to protect occupants and pedestrians are important challenges in the development of future car models. However, cost reduction remains still the biggest design and engineering challenge facing automotive engineers, according to Alcan Automotive.

Aluminum offers good “lightweighting” potential and meets all technical and ecological criteria for a car body material. But there is no shortage of competition in the automotive materials market. The steel industry, for example, is by no means ready to give up its long-established dominance, and it is actively developing new high-strength grades for application in body, chassis, and suspension. Magnesium is another lightweight metal trying to make inroads into the automotive market, so far with limited success.