Coatings are important components in the smooth functioning of a vehicle and to ensure its long life. Almost every part of a vehicle has some form of coating that plays a certain role. Some of the major coatings that are seen in a car include external and interior paints that are also called appearance coatings, thermal coatings, anticorrosion coatings, and antifriction coatings. With the megatrends of electrification, autonomous driving, and connected cars catching up, the types of coatings ...

As part of the 2022 New Year's Briefing, IHS Markit has compiled a presentation around analysis of its latest automotive semiconductor demand and capacity forecast.

Selecting the most optimum joining method for the body parts is one of the key decisions OEMs make early on in the manufacturing process to ensure a multimaterial structure. These multi-material body structures are a key solution to reducing the weight of the overall vehicle. Multimaterial components may be a combination of various metals such as different grades of steel, aluminum and steel, aluminum and magnesium, or even be part metal and part polymer composite. This report will look at...

CES 2022 was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States from January 5-7, with around 400,000 visitors, 744 exhibitors, and 936 speakers.

In the age of electrification, lightweight automotive bodies are set to play an increasingly important role to offset the weight of the battery. While metals such as steel and aluminum are expected to form the majority of the materials used in body-in-white (BIW) manufacturing, composite will be a key to manufacturing multimaterial structures, which are seen as one of the solutions to lightweighting and at the same time improving safety. The BIW composite industry overview report will look at...

While Apple is yet to confirm or deny exploring vehicle development under the codename Project Titan, also referred as Chromium, a vast array of automotive stakeholders and commentators have been inquisitive of what may materialize from the so-called ‘Apple Car.’ Due to the secrecy around Apple’s car venture, a lot remains unknown or unconfirmed about the project from the manufacturing location(s), potential partners, and projected volume. This research note ...

Steel is still the most used material for manufacturing a car and will remain so in the foreseeable future as well. Steel industry has been constantly advancing the grades of steel to meet the ever changing requirements of the automotive industry, as automakers look to develop vehicles that are lightweight, safer, and more efficient. The body in white (BIW) steel industry overview report will provide an in-depth understanding of the various grades of the steel and how their use is expected to...

IAA Mobility 2021 took place in Munich, Germany, from September 7-12.

Aluminum is one of the key materials used in the manufacturing of an automotive body-in-white (BIW). The metal is expected to play an increasingly important role as the automakers look to develop vehicles which are lightweight, safer, and more efficient. The higher adoption of electrified vehicles is also likely to have a bearing on the demand for aluminum for BIW manufacturing. The BIW aluminum industry overview report will look at the changing dynamics for aluminum in the automotive industr...

Lightweighting is one of the keywords being used in the automotive industry for the past several years. It underpins almost all decisions taken by the automakers that the Regional lightweighting strategies report aims to capture the material usage strategies employed by the automakers in the key automotive markets. The report will look into the material used in the various body-in-white (BIW) components by the top automakers today and how the adoption of some of the m...

The Auto Shanghai 2021 was the 19th International Automobile Industry Exhibition and took place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center Shanghai in China from 19-28 April 2021.

This report will delve into the material selection strategies for the closure components that are currently prevalent in the light vehicle segment, and how it is expected to play out over the next decade. The report gives an in-depth analysis of the demand growth for some of the most widely used materials in the various closure parts, and what are some of the factors that will influence the growth pattern for materials, such as regulations, manufacturing costs,...

This report highlights high-level themes represented at the show and summarizes announcement details by company with key insights for how the technologies presented impact automotive and technology strategies and industries.

The focus of the 2020 Beijing Motor Show were intelligent cars and alternative drive systems. All renowned automotive manufacturers and suppliers as well as numerous startups participated in the 2020 show. 

Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, can be defined as the process of manufacturing an object in three dimensions through the layer-by-layer deposition of building materials with the help of a computer-guided printer jet. The process allows for simulation and rapid prototyping with multiple iterations, thereby it reduces the total development time and allows for actual printing of functional parts. The use of 3D printers helps in cost savings for manufacturing and development companies. ...

These presentations were given at the 2020 IHS Markit Spring Automotive Client Briefing - Europe (webinar) on  EV Charging Infrastructure and Connected Car.

This report highlights high-level themes represented at the show and summarizes announcement details by company with key insights for how the technologies presented impact automotive and technology strategies and industries.

The Los Angeles (LA) Auto Show is an annual car show held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in late November or early December.

The powertrain system in a vehicle comprises the engine and transmission systems. The engine system generates power and torque through combustion of fuel, while the transmission system uses the power or torque of the engine to move the vehicle at desired speeds through a combination of the gear and shafts. The powertrain system can constitute up to 20% of the entire vehicle weight on average. Within the powertrain system, the transmission system can weigh from 5% to 10% of the entire weight of t...

The theme of the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show was “Open Future” focusing on cutting edge futuristic technologies including future mobility, flying cars, next-generation personalized mobility, autonomous driving, connected vehicles, and new energy-based vehicles.

Lightweighting, or "right-weighting" (as called in some sectors), is the global push across industries to develop material solutions that perfectly balance cost and performance factors. Focusing on using the right material at the right place and in the perfect amount is tantamount to achieving the right performance at the right price. As a result of the recent push to achieve stringent carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, fuel efficiency norms, and improved safety/crash features across the globe, ...

These presentations were given at the 2019 IHS Markit Fall Automotive Client Briefing in Detroit, Michigan.

The 2019 International Motor Show (IAA) took place at Frankfurt Am Main from 10–22 September 2019.

The development of new materials for automotive solutions across component areas was historically driven by the cost-versus-personal-feel factors and not with a direct intention of reducing the total weight of the vehicle. As a result, new material developments were gradual and not at a disruptive or scalable speed for a long period of time. This meant that lightweighting would remain as a secondary design step in vehicle development. However, the recent push across the globe to achieve stringen...

Analogous to the skeleton of a body, the chassis acts as the base to all the other component areas, and it prevents any torsional deflection in the vehicle. The chassis supports sprung and unsprung mass, dynamic and static loadings, movements and stoppages—in short, a wide variety of critical vehicular functions. Hence, chassis design, both in terms of shape/form and materials, must be carefully planned. Due to the complexities involved in a new chassis design, OEMs prefer to use a basic chass...

The 2019 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) took place at Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York, the US from 19–28 April 2019.

The 2019 Geneva show was majorly focused around future trends for the automotive industry and conceptual technologies—electrification of vehicles and connected mobility, driverless vehicles, packages of digital services, and transportation services.

The requirements for tighter emission standards and higher fuel economy have traditionally troubled OEMs across the world and led to lightweighting being adopted as one of the strategic options. Compared with the other options available, such as engine design change as well as vehicle parasitics change, lightweighting has been the far easier option to design, source, and implement at the vehicle level. Since more than two-thirds of fuel consumption goes toward moving the vehicle’s weight, ligh...

The 2019 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) took place at Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan, United States from 12-27 January 2019.

The annual CES continues to host the world’s automotive innovators to highlight the most cutting-edge technologies the industry can offer.

The Los Angeles (LA) Auto Show is an annual car show held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in late November or early December.

The exterior component system of a car is, quite simply put, the design feature and language of the car. It not only provides for the vehicle’s external aesthetics but also has a critical functionality in terms of the passive safety it provides by forming a closure across the passenger cell through a number of fixed and cantilevered components. With the body-in-white (BIW) acting as a skeleton for the car, the exterior component system is analogous to the skin of the car. Weighing at up to 15%...

Interiors component area The components and subcomponents in a car can be broadly differentiated into five component areas, namely powertrain, body-in-white (BIW), chassis, interiors, and exteriors. This categorization helps in grouping the components by function and technology, and allows for a holistic approach to lightweighting. Vehicular interiors, or the interior component area of a vehicle, is defined as the component systems that are exposed to users in the passenger cabin and account ...

Once considered to be the epitome of in-cabin luxury and accessible to only a handful of affluent car buyers, leather has come a long way as an upholstery material of choice in today’s automotive interiors. Owing to commercialization and advancement in the leather-making process, the global footprint and application of leather in automotive interiors have increased over the last several years. Not only is leather an essential part of the luxury cars of today, but it is also spreading its base ...