Carmakers Poised for 20-Fold Jump in Aluminum Usage

North American carmakers will hike their use of aluminum sheet for vehicle bodies to 4 billion pounds by 2025 from 200 million pounds in 2012, predicts Troy, Mich.-based Ducker Worldwide.

The firm's 2015 North American Light Vehicle Aluminum Content Study, which was funded by the Aluminum Assn., forecasts more than 75% of new pickup trucks built in the region by 2025 will feature aluminum bodies.

The analysis expects the overall proportion of light vehicles with complete aluminum body structures will jump to 18% in 2025 from less than 1% today. It projects that 85% of new-vehicle hoods and nearly half the doors will be made of aluminum by then.

The industry's surging interest in the metal is being driven primarily by weight-cutting programs needed to meet future fuel economy standards.

Ducker says North American models with the greatest average aluminum content in 2025 will be the market's largest vehicles: pickup trucks (549 lbs), large sedans (547 lbs), SUVs (410 lbs) and minivans (397 lbs).

The study asserts that by 2025 global production of light-duty vehicles will create the world's largest market for aluminum as annual consumption approaches 35 billion pounds.