MEGATRENDS USA: Carbon-fibre a lightweighting “gimmick” unless costs are cut

The trend of reducing vehicle weight is spurred by the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) regulation target of 54.5mpg by 2025. The Vehicle Lightweighting track at Automotive Megatrends USA 2015 addressed how both light-duty passenger vehicle suppliers and OEMs can tackle this challenge.

Speaking at the event, Frank Macher, Chief Executive of Continental Structural Plastics, a US-based supplier of composite materials, commented that OEMs have to “balance” potential solutions to reduce weight with the resultant cost impact.