Steel to Edge Out Aluminum for Automakers
DETROIT -- Automakers will not widely adopt aluminum or other alternative materials during their next round of design, a new report finds. And, growth in aluminum sheet in cars, SUVs and light trucks will peak about 2018.
World Steel Dynamics’ report, "AutoBody Warfare: Aluminum Attack," is based on independent consultation with steel, aluminum and automotive experts. The authors’ conclude that that steel can easily deliver the the savings in weight required to meet federally mandated fuel economy targets for most vehicles.
"This timely analysis demonstrates the value of advanced high-strength steel designs in meeting the needs of automakers while exposing the cost penalties of switching to aluminum,” Lawrence W. Kavanagh said in a prepared statement, Kavanaugh is the president of the Steel Market Development Institute, a business unit of the American Iron and Steel Institute.
“We are enthusiastic about the findings, which confirm our extensive research showing automakers can meet their weight reduction goals with advanced high-strength steels, he elaborated. “The report’s conclusions, and forecast for steel, are good news for customers and consumers as they demonstrate that automakers can and will continue to depend on the performance of steel and the safety, fuel efficiency and sustainability it provides."
Other key findings of the study:
- Advanced high-strength steels will offer more than sufficient opportunities for automotive companies to use lighter weight stell in the next decade, and from 2021 to 2025, automotive designers will be implementing an array of higher-strength steels.
- Once engineers decide to redesign steel-intensive vehicles from the ground up, they will implement sizable and relatively low-cost weight savings with advanced high-strength steels, enabling continued supply of steel closures.
- Advanced high-strength steels, even if priced substantially higher than other auto sheet, are quite attractive given their weight savings relative to aluminum and will rise to 23.7 million tons in 2025, a 330% gain displacing mild steel and alternative materials.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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