The average vehicle sold today weighs nearly 4,000 pounds and is made of rubber, plastic, steel, aluminum, upholstery and other materials. Photo: Carlos Osorio/Associated Press“You’ll probably never see anything again that’s as aluminum intensive,” Dick Shultz, co-author of the Ducker study, said in an interview. “Everyone is pursuing the multi-material approach,” said Doug Richman, a vice president at Kaiser Aluminum and technical chair of trade group The Aluminum Association’s transport arm. “It’s a pretty clear and durable trend that’s been helped by significant advances in joining technology and production experience.”The Ducker study was commissioned by the aluminum trade group; steelmakers also commission Ducker for research. The aluminum industry says the race to drop pounds will continue regardless of what Washington, D.C., does.

Source: Wall Street Journal July 31, 2017 03:56 UTC