AUTOMOTIVE ALUMINUM 319 pounds per light vehicle and guaranteed to rise

Dec 01, 2007 | 01:20 PM |

The use of aluminum in automotive applications has been climbing steadily for the past 30 years, according to a study by Ducker Worldwide LLC, Troy, Mich., commissioned by the Aluminum Association's Auto and Light Truck Group (ALTG).

The average aluminum content in North American light vehicles was 319 pounds in 2006, up 3.9 percent from 307 pounds in 2005 and nearly four times the 81-pound average in 1973. Aluminum last year surpassed iron as the second most commonly used material in autos, trailing only steel, ALTG said.

"Aluminum has done a great job of penetrating the auto industry over the last 30 years," said Subodh K. Das, director of the Center for Aluminum Technology at the University of Kentucky and president and chief executive officer of Secat Inc., Lexington, Ky., the organization that commercializes the center's research.

Aluminum's use in autos is expected to continue on a growth trend, Mike Bull, head of ALTG's technical committee, said. "Certainly, the trend is heading in that direction. We see steady and improved growth for aluminum in the automotive sector."....