Aluminum

Alcoa plans to expand Tenn. plant to meet automotive demand

10:04 am U.S. ET | May 2, 2013
Alcoa, the nation's largest aluminum producer, will expand a plant in Tennessee to meet increasing demand for the lightweight metal in cars and trucks.... Read More »

 

Wheel maker Superior to build plant in Chihuahua, Mexico

3:36 pm U.S. ET | April 16, 2013
Aluminum wheel supplier Superior Industries International is planning to build a wheel plant in Chihuahua, Mexico. The California company, which had a sharp drop in fourth-quarter profits, said last month that it would build a plant in Mexico but had not picked a location.... Read More »

 

Alcoa expects to triple its automotive aluminum sales by 2015

10:42 am U.S. ET | April 16, 2013
Alcoa expects to more than triple its sales of aluminum sheet to automakers by 2015 as they reduce car weight by substituting it for steel in car bodies, an Alcoa executive said.... Read More »

 

THE SUPPLIERS SPEAKS: RANDALL SCHEPS, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, ALCOA

Q&A: Alcoa expects aluminum bodies for volume vehicles

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013
Aluminum -- already the material of choice for engine blocks and many wheels and hoods -- will find a place in the body-in-white, predicts Randall Scheps, Alcoa's director of marketing.... Read More »

 

NEWS ANALYSIS

New steels fight aluminum to oust heavy metal from cars

8:02 pm U.S. ET | March 17, 2013
New high-tech products mean steel is now winning battles in a long war to defend its share of the auto market against lighter aluminum, as automakers have to shed weight to meet emissions standards.... Read More »

 

GM puts cars on strict diet

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 11, 2013
When General Motors CEO Dan Akerson vowed last week to cut the weight of new models 15 percent by the 2016 model year, he put his engineers on a rigorous schedule. Is it doable? Yes, but it's a stretch, says one knowledgeable industry consultant.... Read More »

 

Jaguar Land Rover considers $1.2 billion factory in Saudi Arabia

Dec. 11, 2012 12:17 CET
Jaguar Land Rover signed a letter of intent with Saudi Arabia's government to study the feasibility of setting up a factory to build its models locally.... Read More »

 

China's luxury car demand to boost aluminum usage, Novelis says

Nov. 16, 2012 08:49 CET
Novelis, the largest supplier of flat-rolled aluminum products to the auto industry, expects aluminum usage by carmakers in China to beat estimated annual global growth rates as demand surges for luxury car brands.... Read More »

 

PRODUCTION LINE

Aluminum suppliers expand as demand soars

12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 17, 2012
The auto industry's weight watchers should have a field day with the redesigned Range Rover to be displayed this month at the Paris auto show. Jaguar Land Rover also plans to introduce the production-ready aluminum Jaguar F-Type in Paris. Not a bad calling card for Novelis Inc., which supplies the aluminum for both vehicles... Read More »

 

Aluminum suppliers expand rapidly as demand soars

12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 11, 2012
The auto industry’s weight watchers should have a field day with the redesigned Range Rover to be displayed this month at the Paris auto show. The vehicle’s all-aluminum body is 926 pounds lighter than its predecessor, and Land Rover brags that the vehicle is the world’s first all-aluminum SUV.... Read More »

 

Lighter Range Rover revealed ahead of Paris debut

Aug. 15, 2012 12:35 CET
Land Rover says it has reduced the weight of its next-generation Range Rover by up to 420kg (926 pounds) compared with the current-generation model through heavy use of aluminum in the SUV's bodyshell. The new Land Rover makes its debut at the Paris auto show next month.... Read More »

 

GM invests in 'game-changer' lightweight steelmaker

10:04 am U.S. ET | Aug. 6, 2012
GM is investing in a company that has designed a new type of lightweight, high-strength steel that could help the automaker significantly improve the fuel economy of its future cars and trucks.... Read More »

 

FINAL ASSEMBLY

An aluminum F-150: Tough enough?

12:01 am U.S. ET | July 30, 2012
Ford wants to put the next-generation F-150 pickup on an aluminum diet, says The Wall Street Journal. The paper reported last week that Ford engineers plan to replace the F-150 in 2014 with a truck that has a largely aluminum body.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

Lighter Range Rover coming

12:01 am U.S. ET | July 9, 2012
The steel-bodied Range Rover, which has been around for 11 years, has carried a heavy burden: It weighs in at about 2.7 tons. But the successor, the fourth-generation Range Rover that debuts at the Paris auto show this fall, is expected to shed up to 600 pounds.... Read More »

 

PRODUCTION LINE

Automakers snap up aluminum

12:01 am U.S. ET | June 18, 2012
Automakers are expected to triple North American use of aluminum sheet by 2015, a surge that could lead to spot shortages. To meet demand, two major aluminum producers are adding production capacity.... Read More »

 

Aluminum car doors, frames on horizon as automakers diet

6:32 pm U.S. ET | June 13, 2012
The global push to improve fuel efficiency in vehicle fleets will more than double demand for aluminum in the auto industry by 2025, Alcoa's director of automotive marketing said Wednesday.... Read More »

 

Automakers snap up aluminum; body-in-white coming to N.A.

12:01 am U.S. ET | June 12, 2012
Automakers are expected to triple North American use of aluminum sheet by 2015, a surge that could lead to spot shortages. Automakers have made wide use of aluminum wheels, engine blocks, heat exchangers and suspension components to save weight. Now they are using more aluminum sheet for hoods, liftgates, fenders and doors. To meet demand, two major aluminum producers are adding production capacity.... Read More »