In the ongoing quest for light weighting, Constellium and UACJ are running a manufacturing plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, to supply aluminum auto sheet to the North American automotive industry under their joint venture, Constellium-UACJ. The 225,000 square foot auto sheet plant has an initial capacity of 100,000 metric tons. It has secured its metal supply with both partners’ rolling mills. Bowling Green expects to offer a flat rolled product portfolio including auto body closure panels, as well as body structures.
The auto sheet plant is currently in testing phase, with ramp-up planned over the next two years. As of today, the line is essentially committed with orders from leading automotive OEMs in North America Constellium-UACJ said. The location in Bowling Green – home of the Chevrolet Corvette, already with an aluminum space frame and control arms – leads AutoInformed to speculate about the next mid-engine Corvette and its radical departure from the traditional front-engine, rear-drive architecture.
“Constellium and UACJ’s combined industrial legacy and best-in-class assets, as well as our leading position in innovation with the opening of a new R&D hub in Plymouth, MI, position the joint venture to be the partner of choice for North American automotive OEMs,” said Simon Laddychuk, Chief Executive Officer of the joint venture.
The North American aluminum body sheet market is expanding rapidly, responding to stronger regulations calling for major car weight reduction and increases infuel efficiency. As a growing number of automotive OEMs integrate aluminum in their models, the use of aluminum automotive body sheet in North America increased from 70kt in 2012 to approximately 500kt in 2015. The forecast is it will to reach more than 1,000kt in 2020.
