Carbon-fiber composites also are showing up in some vehicles, but auto makers are reluctant to commit to the expensive material. BASFAG ’s new carbon fiber oil pan is 40% lighter than steel or aluminum versions, for instance, but the company is still looking for a buyer.
Chrysler’s Pacifica, which has aluminum sliding doors, could be a pioneer when it comes to wider use of magnesium. Used on cars since 1920, the average light vehicle has about 10 pounds worth of the material in its composition, that number is poised to triple by 2025, according to a forecast by DuckerFrontier, a Troy, Mich., consulting and research firm.
“Magnesium has always been an interesting product for engineers since it provides a lot of weight savings but still provides strength,” said Abey Abraham, a project director at DuckerFrontier. The average light vehicle has about 10 pounds worth of the material in parts such as instrument panels and seat frames, and its use is poised to triple by 2025, it estimates.
“As the new emissions guidelines get closer, magnesium is starting to appear in more vehicles and in bigger parts,” Mr. Abraham said. Ford Motor Co. ’s Lincoln MKT luxury crossover was the last vehicle to use magnesium for the lift gate, but its volumes were slight compared with expected demand for the Pacifica.