Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Source: Investing.com

Source: AutoData

Source: WardsAuto, DuPont Automotive Benchmark Study

Source: 3M and Automotive Engineering

International survey

Driving DirectionsTo meet lightweighting goals, automakers have requested new metals that bring expanded capabilities to automotive design and manufacturing.

The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations in the United States require improved fuel efficiency in future automobiles and light trucks every year through 2025. The miles per gallon (MPG) standard is progressively increasing at a rate of 5 percent per year averaged across all automobile models and 3.5 percent per year for light trucks culminating in a vehicle average of 54.5 MPG by 2025

Meanwhile, the price of oil remains at lows not seen in several years. That tends to encourage the purchases of larger vehicles, such as SUVs, CUVs and pickup trucks

Auto sales overall have been up in recent years, although there are some signs that the rampant growth may be slowing down somewhat

In any case, automakers need to hit those higher MPG standards. One of the primary ways is to reduce overall vehicle weight, which lowers the energy required to operate the vehicle thereby increasing fuel economy.

Members of the Society of Automotive Engineers

said in a survey the number one technology trend identified was the

need for lightweight structural materials, with

95% of respondents citing its importance.

Source: NanoSteel

An auto industry rule of thumb is that for every 10%

reduction in vehicle weight, there is an expected

7% increase in fuel economy.

Source: NanoSteel

Source: American Iron and Steel Institute Source: The Aluminum Transportation Group

Source: US Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Program

A 30% reduction in vehicle body-in-white (BIW) mass would represent an overall vehicle weight reduction of nearly 7%. With the add-on

effects of compounded secondary weight savings, this would result in a total

reduction of 13.5%.

The move toward lightweighting is continuing to evolve, and is expected to increase over the next two decades.

If currently available AHSS were applied throughout the present U.S. automotive fleet, greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles would be reduced by approximately 12%.

The use of AHSS reduces a vehicle’s structural weightby as much as 25%.

More than 20 new AHSS grades of materials are expected to be commercially available by 2020.

By 2025, 26.6% of all the body and closure parts for light vehicles in North America will be made of aluminum.

Total North American aluminum content in 2025 will be10 billion pounds.

Compared with a fleet of traditional steel vehicles, aluminum use saves the equivalent of 108 millionbarrels of crude oil in energy.

Pickup trucks contain the most aluminum at about 550 pounds per vehicle, followed by E-segment sedans at 545, SUVs at 410and minivans at 395 lbs.

Steel facts Aluminum facts

20152010 2035

20152014 2016

July

June

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov Dec Jan

Feb

Mar

chA

pril

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov Dec Feb

Jan

Mar

chA

pril

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Sept

. is

thro

ugh

9/21

/16

$112

.4 $

106

$103

.2$9

4.7

$85.

9

$53

$62.

6$5

5.1

$66

.8$6

5.6

$63.

6$5

2.2

$54

.2$4

8.4

$49.

6$4

4.6

$37.

3$3

4.7

$36

$39.

6$4

8.1

$49.

7$4

9.7

$42.

5 $47

$47.

3$57.

6 $70

.2

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

11.6

12.7

16.2

15.5

16.5

17.5

17

Smaller Cars

Larger Cars

Larger Light Trucks

Smaller Light Trucks

2015

3033

39

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

1918

3134

41

19

33

44

19

3437

45

19

3538

47

19

3639

49

19

38

42

51

20

40

44

53

21

42

46

56

22

44

48

58

23

46

50

60

36

TARGETMPG

10% 7%

BIW 30%

13.5%

2015-2025 CAFE standards for each model year in miles per gallon

Monthly Brent Crude Oil Pricesper barrel in US Dollars - June 2014-August 2016

U.S. Vehicle SalesAutos (in millions)

Which vehicle area/system is your primary target for lightweighting?

Percentage of light vehicle compostion by material, 2010 vs. 2015 and beyond

Life cycle assessment data shows that steel, which makes up nearly 60% of the average North American vehicle, generates fewer manufacturing emissions than other automotive body materials.

12%

10bn

Conventional Steel Nonmetallics Aluminum AHSS Other

61.5% 22% 4% 54.5% 23% 8% 20% 14% 22%

4%8.5% 4%10.5% 19%25%

Interior

Tire, Rim, Wheels

Closure panels

3%

1%

Electrical

Body Panels

24% 24%

12%

11%

Powertrain Other/unknown

Chassis

Body in White

9%

9%

7%

$

© 2016 American Metal Market

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