Automotive aluminum die casting market

With the continuous development of automotive light weighting, aluminum alloys are widely used in automobiles, including aluminum die-casting parts such as aluminum panels for body panels, powertrains, chassis, and body structures, as well as power battery boxes. From the perspective of the quality distribution of the entire vehicle, the four major components (systems) of the body, power and transmission system, chassis and interior decoration account for more than 90%, which is also an important breakthrough direction for the lightweight of automobiles. The amount of aluminum used for the engine, transmission and transmission system, wheels, and body panels were 47.2Kg, 38.6kg, 32.7Kg, and 26.8Kg, which accounted for a relatively large amount of 22.7%, 18.5%, 15.7%, and 12.9Kg, respectively; Heaters, suspensions, sub frames, etc. also use high amounts of aluminum.

From a process point of view, the automotive aluminum are mainly aluminum die-casting parts and aluminum plates

Automotive aluminum can be divided into cast aluminum and deformed aluminum according to the process. The latter can be divided into three types: extrusions (extrusion process), aluminum plates (calendaring process) and forgings (forging process). From the perspective of the two mainstream markets in Europe and North America, aluminum castings are widely used, from powertrain, chassis to body, etc., accounting for about 65% of automotive aluminum ; followed by aluminum plates, which are mostly used for body panels, accounting for about 20% ; Extrusion parts account for about 10%, and forging and casting parts are used less.

Aluminum die castings are mainly used in three fields: power system, chassis system and body. Among them, the penetration rate of power system aluminum is higher than 90%; the penetration rate of chassis and body structure is low, and it is expected to gradually increase under the background of lightweight and integrated die-casting. Aluminum die-casting parts, especially chassis and body structure parts, have great potential.

Higher technical barriers. Die casting is a precision casting method that uses high pressure to hydraulically insert metal into a die-casting mold, and cools it under pressure. The production process integrates various technical capabilities such as materials, molds and processes, and has high technical barriers. Continuous R&D investment is required.

The penetration rate of aluminum for chassis and body structure is low, and there is a lot of room for improvement

1) According to statistics from The Aluminum Association in 2012, in the North American automotive market, the penetration rate of aluminum control arms is about 40%, and the penetration rate of steering knuckles is between 20%-30%. According to the data of China Industry Information Network, the penetration rate of aluminum for domestic control arms, sub frames, and steering knuckles is 15%, 8%, and 40% in 2020, and is expected to be 30%, 25%, and 80% respectively by 2025. Larger space. 

2) According to data from the International Aluminum Association, the current penetration rate of aluminum for the body structure of fuel vehicles is 3%, and that of pure electric vehicles is 8%. The penetration rate of aluminum is generally low. Considering that the current trend of body-in-white from steel structure to steel-aluminum hybrid structure is relatively obvious, the permeability of aluminum is expected to increase substantially.

Chassis and body die castings have more room for growth. The penetration rate of aluminum castings for the powertrain of traditional fuel vehicles exceeds 90%. As the penetration rate of new energy vehicles increases, the total demand will gradually decline. Among chassis components, including control arms, steering knuckles, and sub-frames, the trend of using aluminum die-casting is relatively obvious, and the penetration rate is still low, and the demand is in a stage of rapid growth.

It is estimated that the demand for automotive aluminum die castings in 2025 will be 3.84 million tons, with a compound growth rate of 10.2% from 2021 to 2025. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has clearly stated that it will increase the number of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to 100,000 and 1 million by 2025 and 2035, respectively. In 2025, China's new energy vehicle output may reach 7.48 million, with a compound annual growth rate of 40.5% in 20-25. From 2020 to 2025, the compound annual growth rate of China's new energy vehicle production capacity will reach 40.5%, and the output of new energy vehicles in 2025 will be 7.48 million. Including passenger vehicles (fuel vehicles, new energy), commercial vehicles, and with reference to the International Aluminum Association's estimated data on the amount of aluminum used in automobiles in China, the demand for aluminum alloys for automobiles in China is calculated. On this basis, according to the proportion of die-casting parts for passenger vehicles (fuel vehicles, new energy vehicles) and commercial vehicles, the demand for die-casting parts for passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles in 2025 is estimated to be 2.086 million tons and 626,000 tons respectively. 3.839 million tons, with a compound growth rate of 10.2% for 2021-2025.