← External Forces: Industry Specific (all topics)
Aluminium content per vehicle
What it is
Aluminium substituting for steel and iron in engine blocks, transmission housings, wheels, suspension parts and increasingly battery enclosures. It weighs roughly a third less than steel for comparable strength in the right design
EVs use substantially more because weight directly determines range
Impact on industries
- Content per vehicle rises structurally with both emission rules and electrification, so volume grows even where vehicle sales are flat
- Battery enclosures and motor housings are large aluminium castings that did not exist in ICE vehicles, adding entirely new part families
- High-pressure die casting and giga-casting consolidate many parts into one, raising value per casting and per platform award
- Aluminium is LME-priced and passed through with a lag, so the caster earns a conversion margin and carries timing risk
- Needs different melting, die and machining capability from ferrous casting, so the shift is a capability investment