Automotive Lightweighting Market, Global, 2024-2030

Global Fuel and Emission Norms are Driving Transformational Growth by Accelerating Multi-material Adoption

This Frost & Sullivan report examines automotive lightweighting strategies, highlighting the various initiatives adopted by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to reduce the weight of passenger vehicles. As the industry rapidly advances toward electrification and sustainability, reducing vehicle weight has become a crucial lever for meeting emissions targets, enhancing energy efficiency, and lowering costs. Lightweighting enables automakers to improve fuel economy, extend electric vehicle (EV) driving range, and optimize powertrain design, all while maintaining structural strength and safety. The adoption of advanced materials combined with innovative manufacturing techniques allows manufacturers to achieve these gains without compromising durability. Although carbon dioxide and fuel economy regulations strongly incentivize weight reduction, the absence of explicit mandates leads to uneven implementation across the sector. Nonetheless, as electrification, advanced driver assistant systems (ADAS), and connected vehicle features add to vehicle weight, lightweighting will become even more critical to deliver performance, range, and cost efficiency. Over the next decade, multi-material architectures, structural battery integration, and holistic vehicle design approaches are expected to make lightweighting a core enabler of next-generation mobility solutions. The report identifies the factors driving and restraining the industry as well as the growth opportunities arising from emerging lightweighting trends for market players and stakeholders to leverage. The geographical scope of this study is global. The base year is 2024, and the forecast period is from 2025 to 2030.

Scope of Analysis

• The study analyzes vehicle lightweighting strategies in the automotive industry, providing highlights on the different initiatives adopted by OEMs.
• With the rise of net-zero carbon targets and global emission standards, OEMs are actively embracing lightweighting strategies in vehicle design and component manufacturing.
• The study offers a holistic view of the different lightweighting initiatives in the automotive ecosystem, highlighting the pros and cons of each initiative, OEM deployments, and strategic developments to provide a comprehensive understanding of the industry's trajectory.
• The geographical scope of this study is global and analyzes lightweighting strategies used throughout the automotive industry.

Scope

• Geographic coverage
• Global
• Study period
• 2024-2030
• Base year
• 2024
• Monetary unit
• US Dollars
• Vehicle segments
• Passenger vehicles

Key Competitors

• OEMs
  • Stellantis
  • Volkswagen
  • Ford Motors
  • General Motors
  • Volvo
  • BMW
  • Mercedes-Benz
  • Porsche
  • Renault
  • Kia Motors
  • Nissan
• Raw Material Suppliers
  • ArcelorMittal
  • Thyssenkrupp
  • Novelis
  • Constellium
  • Alcoa
  • SGL Carbon
• Component Manufacturers
  • Shiloh Industries
  • Tower International
  • Rochling Automotive
  • Henkel
• Tier I Suppliers
  • Gestamp
  • Martinrea
  • Benteler
  • Faurecia
  • Lear
  • Adient
  • Dana
  • GKN
  • AAM
• Engineering & Simulation Providers
  • Altair
  • Ansys
  • Dassault Systemes
  • Magna Tooling
  • Schuler
  • Gestamp Tooling

Growth Drivers

• Stringent Global Emission Standards
• EVs Adoption Range and Optimization
• Advancements in Lightweight Materials
• Crash Safety Guidelines
• OEM Sustainability and Net-zero Targets

Growth Restraints

• High Material Costs: Advanced lightweight materials such as CFRP, aluminum, and natural fiber composites are significantly more expensive than traditional steel, impacting OEM cost structures.
• Lower Adoption in Low-cost Vehicle Segments: Cost-sensitive mass market segments, especially in developing countries, resist adoption due to price premium and affordability concerns.
• Lack of Skilled Workforce in Vehicle Lightweighting: Specialized knowledge is required to design and manufacture with lightweight materials, and the skilled labor shortage in this area slows adoption.
• Durability and Repairability Concerns: Certain lightweight materials are more prone to damage and harder to repair, raising concerns about durability and consumer acceptance.
• Lack of Proper Lightweighting Guidelines: Lack of harmonized lightweighting targets across major regions leads to fragmented OEM strategies and less urgency in some markets.

Competitive Environment

• Number of Competitors
  • 50+ competitors
• Competitive Factors
  • Regulatory alignment, compliance readiness, advanced material innovation, manufacturing process efficiency, sustainability
• Key End-user Industry Verticals
  • Automotive, passenger vehicles
• Leading Competitors
  • Gestamp, Faurecia, Novelis, Constellium, SGL Carbon, Thyssenkrupp Steel, Toray Industries, BASF, Evonik, Altair Engineering
• Revenue Share of Top 5 Competitors, 2024
  • 45%
• Other Notable Competitors
  • LyondellBasell Industries Holdings B.V., ArcelorMittal
• Distribution Structure
  • Raw material suppliers, component manufacturers, Tier I suppliers, OEMs, engineering & simulation providers

Notable Acquisitions and Mergers

NA

The Impact of the Top 3 Strategic Imperatives on the Automotive Lightweighting Industry

Transformative Megatrends

• Why:
  • Trends like vehicle electrification, autonomy, and sustainability make lightweighting critical to offset battery weight, improve range and performance, and support new crash structures in autonomous vehicles (AVs).
  • Lightweighting becomes a key enabler of meeting global decarbonization targets and digital architecture demands.
• Frost Perspective:
  • Vehicle electrification will rise in the coming years, pushing original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to aggressively reduce body and chassis weight to offset heavy batteries and improve range.
  • Lifecycle emissions will become a regulatory focus, compelling OEMs to prefer low-carbon and recycled lightweight materials over traditional ones.
  • Modular electric vehicle (EV) skateboard platforms will enable complete freedom in weight-optimized structural design.

Internal Challenges

• Why:
  • OEMs and suppliers face cost pressures, capital expenditure (CAPEX) limitations, and supply chain disruptions, making it harder to justify expensive lightweighting materials, like carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP).
  • Resistance to material change due to retooling and workforce reskilling needs slows adoption.
• Frost Perspective:
  • Reskilling and up-skilling of the workforce will be essential, especially as new joining, forming, and simulation technologies become integral to multi-material structures.
  • Platform consolidation within OEMs (fewer vehicle platforms across more models) will pressure suppliers to develop scalable lightweight solutions that fit modular architectures.

Geopolitical Chaos

• Why:
  • Trade tensions (e.g., US-China), tariffs on aluminum/steel, and supply chain nationalism impact the availability and cost of lightweight materials.
  • OEMs shift toward local sourcing, which may limit access to advanced lightweight materials unless regional suppliers evolve.
• Frost Perspective:
  • Local sourcing mandates and trade restrictions (e.g., US-China tariffs, European Union (EU) carbon border tax) will reshape material supply chains in the next 3 to 5 years and limit access to low-cost imported lightweight materials.