Interview: Frank Macher, Chairman and Chief Executive, Continental Structural Plastics

Opportunities for lightweighting within the commercial vehicle (CV) segment are set to rise as increasingly stringent industry regulations for fuel efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions apply pressure on truck manufacturers.

Lightweight composite materials offer OEMs a high strength lightweight alternative to conventional metals or plastics used in vehicle bodies. Composites are moving from passenger cars to the CV segment through companies such as Continental Structural Plastics (CSP), which develops composite solutions on a global scale for light- and heavy-duty vehicles.

Frank Macher, Chairman and Chief Executive of CSP, spoke to Automotive World about the role that composite materials will play in CVs in future.