Auto manufacturers have always toyed with various body panels made of aluminum, but apparently it’s getting serious. By 2015, a large percentage of vehicles around the world will have aluminum bodies, obviously to reduce the weight of a vehicle and make them more fuel efficient…..but not to make them less expensive. Aluminum is harder to produce and costs about twice that of steel. In America, Alcoa Aluminum is gearing up for the crunch and expects there to be a shortage of supply in 2013, although they feel they will still have enough to fill orders. Read more about it in an article from Automotive News.
In the paint and refinish industry, we are more than prepared to have aluminum compatible repair materials available for these vehicles. Epoxy and and acid etch primers, body fillers with special resins, seam sealers, etc. have been around for years and we’re ready to go for this change.