Top 10 automobile collaborations in the aluminium industry

The rising need for sustainability in the energy-intensive automotive sector has instigated leading mobility giants to transform their flagship manufacturing processes. Major companies like Ford, Mercedes, Toyota, Tesla, and Nissan are very skilfully incorporating recycled aluminium or low-carbon aluminium alloys for their car bodies and chassis. Aluminium recycling saves almost 95 per cent of the power usually consumed in primary aluminium production, curtailing a substantial amount of carbon emissions. 

Moreover, aluminium's 100% recyclability and the capacity to retain its original properties have more or less enticed the automobile sector because it is a sector that demands a lot of raw materials. With the use of aluminium, car makers can cut down on material abuse and create a circular economy around their production lines. The world's most prominent low-carbon aluminium producers have come forward with their expertise in helping these automobile champions so that their upcoming wheeled batches are greener and eco-friendly. 

Some partnerships are unique in their way, like when Lotus collaborated with British luxury fountain pen brand Onoto to create a limited-edition pen made from recycled aluminium sourced from historic Lotus Formula One cars. Lotus is known for its precision engineering, lightweight construction, and aerodynamics in the automotive world. The British brand has a legacy of iconic models and is adapting to evolving trends while maintaining its core principles of engineering excellence. 

Likewise, Bang & Olufsen and Ferrari collaborated to create a new line of headphones and speakers that highlight the two brands' shared expertise in precision, elegance, and aluminium. The collection is united by a striking red colour that unmistakably links it to the Ferrari brand. It includes the Beosound 2 home speaker, Beoplay H95 headphones, Beoplay EX earphones, and the portable speaker Beosound Explore. Ferrari, a world-renowned Italian luxury automaker established by Enzo Ferrari in 1939, has a storied history of producing some of the most desirable and iconic vehicles in the automotive industry.

In the list below, you'll find some of the most revered automotive collaborations of the decade: 

EGA and BMW: As early as 2016, EGA had signed a three-year aluminium supply deal with luxury car maker BMW. In 2019, the agreement was extended by another three years till 2022. EGA has been supplying BMW with aluminium for its car parts since 2013, but in 2021, Emirates Global Aluminium secured BMW as the first customer for its solar-powered CelestiAL aluminium. Under the contract, EGA will supply 43,000 tonnes of the UAE's first-of-a-kind aluminium, produced using solar power, to BMW every year. Using solar aluminium from EGA will help BMW reduce around 222,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. CelestiAL aluminium will meet half the annual requirements of BMW Group's only light metal casting facility in Europe - Plant Landshut.

EGA and Nissan: Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), one of the largest industrial organisations in the UAE, also agreed to supply Kobe Steel with its flagship solar aluminium, CelestiAL, to be used in the manufacturing of automotive body sheets for Nissan vehicles. The deal will help introduce CelestiAL to one of the largest rolling mills in Japan, meeting the increasing demand for aluminium sheets for vehicle body components such as panels, bonnets, and doors in the Japanese automotive sector. This partnership is a positive step towards sustainable and eco-friendly manufacturing, using renewable solar energy to produce high-quality aluminium products.

Constellium and Audi: Constellium announced its successful delivery of advanced aluminium solutions for the new Audi A6. The company supplied Surfalex® with high surface quality along with special hemming and roping properties for the doors and trunk. Additionally, the company provided Securalex® P6, a high-tech crash absorption alloy, for the hood of the Audi A6, which has been designed to meet the most demanding pedestrian safety requirements. Furthermore, Constellium has expanded its partnership with Audi by providing ASI-certified aluminium Auto Body Sheet solutions for closures and inner parts and extrusion-based components for the vehicle's front and rear Crash Management Systems in the Audi e-tron GT.

Constellium and Renault: Constellium SE and Renault Group established a closed-loop recycling process for the all-new Megane E-TECH Electric. Aluminium is the material of choice for the automotive fleet's electrification, and Constellium supplies the best-in-class aluminium Auto Body Sheet for the all-new Megane E-TECH Electric. Renault Group has created a closed-loop recycling mechanism that directs manufacturing scrap from the stamping process back to Constellium, resulting in a lower CO2 footprint. The closed-loop process will recycle 5xxx and 6xxx alloys for reuse in Renault Group manufacturing with no loss of qualities and no downcycling.

Constellium and FIA: The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) approved Constellium’s Aheadd® CP1 aluminium alloy for use in Formula 1 racing cars starting in the 2024 season. Velo3D and PWR Advanced Cooling Technology have collaborated to use the alloy in Sapphire printers to create highly efficient, small, and lightweight heat exchangers for F1 cars and high-performance components. The alloy is approved for printing in 100-micron layers, offering clients a balance between end-product performance and system throughput.

Alcoa and Audi: Alcoa Corporation was selected to supply low-carbon aluminium to RONAL GROUP for the production of high-performance alloy wheels for Audi's first electric sports car, the e-tron GT. The wheels will be manufactured using a combination of metal from Alcoa's EcoLum brand and the ELYSISTM zero-carbon emissions smelting technology. In addition, Alcoa's EcoLum metal produces less than 4.0 metric tons of CO2e for every ton of metal produced. The ELYSIS technology, which Alcoa developed, eliminates all greenhouse gas emissions from traditional aluminium smelting and emits pure oxygen as a byproduct.

Novelis and Toyota: Novelis supplied a premium aluminium automotive body sheet to Toyota Motor Corporation for the 2019 Toyota RAV4. The lightweight, high-strength aluminium helps RAV4 achieve weight savings. Novelis supplies Advanz™ 6HS – s600 and Advanz™ 6HS – e600 heat-treatable alloys to meet Toyota's needs. The alloy is produced for Toyota at Novelis' Oswego facility, where Novelis engineers and metallurgists developed a new thermomechanical manufacturing process.

Capral and Volvo & Grenda JV: Volgren, a joint venture between Volvo and Grenda that has been building buses since 1979, is committed to creating reliable, comfortable, and long-lasting vehicles with lower operating costs than conventional options. The company is exploring ways to use Capral's LocAl low-carbon aluminium to produce lightweight electric buses. Volgren has delivered hybrid and electric buses to Australian operators since 2018 and is fast-tracking the delivery of Australia's first European hydrogen fuel cell buses. The Optimus E-Bus, Volgren's E-bus, is one of the lightest zero-emission bus bodies in its class and complies with Australia's highest safety and flammability standards for buses. The company uses aluminium instead of steel for its bus bodies, and its Co-Bolt system uses bolted gusseted joints. Currently, Volgren is experimenting with Capral's LocAl Lower Carbon Aluminium to reduce the environmental impact of their flagship designs. 

Capral and Goldstar Transport: This partnership is not exactly like the others mentioned in the list but is equally important. Capral Aluminium, an Australian-based company specialising in manufacturing extruded aluminium and distributing aluminium products, recently initiated a zero-emissions delivery program in collaboration with its freight partner, Goldstar Transport. The program has been launched with the delivery of Fuso eCanter to Bull Motor Bodies, a local customer of Capral Aluminium. The company has also introduced a lower-carbon primary aluminium option, LocAL, now available across its locally produced extruded aluminium products. 

Hydro and popular car brands: Hydro's low-carbon aluminium is quite famous in the automobile sector as iconic car brands like Mercedes, Porsche and Gränges have collaborated with the Norwegian aluminium giant to gain its flagship CIRCAL 100R for their respective car lines. This version of Hydro's low-carbon aluminium contains almost 25 per cent post-consumer scrap, with 2.8 kg CO2 content per kg of aluminium. Using this green raw material significantly reduces the big car companies' carbon footprint, as each runs huge energy-intensive production lines. Hydro also allied with bike maker CAKE to create the cleanest dirt bike in the history of mankind with its patented low-carbon aluminium.

Aluminium's recyclability is a boon to car companies as this induces a closed material loop, which later helps in the smooth acquisition of industry-standardised and certified raw materials. The non-ferrous metal's popularity in the automotive sector can also be attributed to its strength-to-weight ratio, thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance and malleability. Lastly, aluminium is cheaper, lightweight and more versatile than the conventional alloys used in car making. Big companies are, therefore, effectively changing their production methods to curtail excess costs alongside keeping an active vigilance on the Earth's eco-sphere.