Inside China’s automotive shift: Aluminium becoming integral to vehicle design with usage nearing 8MT

China’s aluminium sector is often discussed in terms of capacity expansions and production numbers. But another force is shaping the demand, that is the China’s automotive industry. As vehicles evolve, aluminium is becoming harder to replace, not because of policy pressure but because modern vehicle design increasingly depends on it.Aluminium consumption in China’s automotive industry is projected to grow from 3.8 million tonnes in 2018 to nearly 7.5-8 million tonnes by 2025. On paper, it reads like strong industrial growth. In practice, it signals a shift in how vehicles are being built.

Passenger cars reflect the redesign

Passenger cars revealed the change first. Internal combustion engine (ICE) models used around 110.3 kg of aluminium in 2016. The figure rose to 115.7 kg in 2017 and 118.7 kg in 2018 - the outlook now is far more pronounced: about 179.8 kg per vehicle by 2025, more than half above 2018 levels and roughly 63 per cent higher than in 2016.

China’s electric vehicles saw a sharper climb. Battery electric models lifted aluminium content from 107.1 kg in 2016 to 117.9 kg in 2017 and 128.4 kg in 2018. Forecasts place the average at 226.8 kg by 2025, effectively doubling within a decade.

Hybrid vehicles point in the same direction. Usage moved from 147.4 kg in 2016 to 160 kg in 2017 and 179.6 kg in 2018, with expectations of about 238.3 kg by 2025. Lightweighting has gradually shifted from being an engineering preference to something closer to a baseline requirement as manufacturers pursue efficiency and performance gains.

For 2026 aluminium market outlook, download our report TOC: Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2026

Commercial vehicles join the shift

Changes in materials typically take longer to reach heavier vehicle categories, yet the pattern is becoming visible there as well. In buses, aluminium usage slipped slightly from 92.8kg in 2016 to 92kg in 2017 before recovering in 2018, when estimates moved beyond 94.4kg. Manufacturers now expect the number to reach 165.4kg by 2025, suggesting buses will grow notably more material intensive.

Commercial ICE vehicles show a quieter but consistent rise - from 60.5kg in 2016 to 62.8kg in 2017 and 65.3kg in 2018 - with projections pointing to 84.6kg by 2025.

The fastest acceleration is occurring in new energy commercial vehicles. Aluminium usage increased from 189 kilograms in 2016 to 196.4 kilograms in 2017 and is projected to reach 303.6 kilograms by 2025. Electrification, it appears, is influencing even the industry’s heaviest segments.

Trucks are changing quickly too. Usage climbed from 73.8kg in 2016 to 86.4kg in 2017 and nearly touched triple digits at 99.9kg in 2018. Market estimates suggest the figure will exceed 181.4kg by 2025.

E-bikes remain the outlier. Aluminium usage edged only slightly upward - from 9.1kg in 2016 to 9.2kg in 2017 and 9.3kg in 2018 - and is expected to hover around 10kg by 2025, reflecting incremental design tweaks rather than sweeping change. Read Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2026 for an indepth view.

Electrification emerges as the strongest driver

Across segments, one factor keeps resurfacing: electrification. China’s expanding new energy vehicle base is widely viewed as a primary reason behind rising aluminium intensity. Carmakers are leaning on the metal to counterbalance battery weight, extend driving range, and improve vehicle dynamics.

Shen Dong, a member of the BIR non-ferrous board, expects demand to climb sharply as manufacturers continue prioritising lighter body structures. Looking ahead, new energy vehicle producers alone are projected to consume around 10 million tonnes of aluminium annually by 2030 - enough to reshape global demand balances.

Also read: China’s electric vehicle boom powers its fight against pollution and climate change

Production volumes reinforce the link

In 2023, the country produced 30.161 million vehicles and sold 30.094 million, marking year-on-year growth of 11.6 per cent and 12 per cent - both record highs. Among this, exports added further momentum, jumping 58 per cent to 4.91 million units.

The following year sustained that pace. Production reached 31.28 million, while sales touched 31.44 million, keeping the market above the 30-million threshold for a second consecutive year. In that year, domestic passenger car sales totalled 22.61 million units, and exports climbed to 4.96 million.

Meanwhile, traditional fuel-powered passenger car sales dropped sharply to 11.56 million, with the remaining demand coming from non-passenger vehicles - an early sign of structural change.

By 2025, the industry moved into an even higher gear. Production rose to 34.531 million units and sales reached 34.4 million, comfortably ahead of expectations.

Domestic vehicle sales stood at 27.302 million units, though the mix continued to shift. Conventional fuel-powered vehicles declined further to 13.427 million, reinforcing the sense that the market is undergoing a long-term transition rather than a temporary adjustment.

Exports strengthen China’s global standing

Overseas shipments are increasingly shaping the country’s automotive narrative. Rapid international expansion, stronger global competitiveness of Chinese brands, solid joint-venture shipments, and accelerating new energy vehicle exports pushed outbound volumes to a record 7.098 million units.

China accounted for 35.6 per cent of global automobile sales in 2025. Out of 96.47 million vehicles sold worldwide, the country contributed a major part of 34.35 million, which is 9 per cent of the annual increase.

Global demand itself expanded by about 5 per cent. The United States sold 16.72 million vehicles, India 5.58 million, Japan 4.56 million, and Germany 3.16 million. Russia’s market continued to contract, Mexico’s growth slowed, while South American markets such as Argentina showed stronger performance.

Taken together, the signals suggest aluminium’s rise is closely aligned with China’s expanding automotive industry that is production and sales, while also reflecting design changes and the accelerating shift toward electrified mobility.

Note: The figures show modelled aluminium intensity per vehicle by category and powertrain, indexed to a 2018 base year. They reflect projected structural trends from light weighting, design evolution, and electrification, based on industry outlooks available at the time of the original study (published in 2021). The data are used here to illustrate indicative aluminium intensity trends for 2025 rather than actual realised values. Aluminium content can vary significantly by model and specification, even within the same vehicle category.

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