Design News – Megacasting: From Proof of Concept to Production Discipline
01. 20. 26By : Leonard Ling
At a Glance
- – Next-gen casting aims to deliver better crash management, faster rework, and shorter lines.
- – What matters most is not which material is used, but how well it is used.
- – There’s a new emphasis on integrating multiple materials and engineering interfaces to achieve design goals.
Megacasting has moved past its experimental phase. The question now isn’t if it works, but how it reshapes the value chain. The winners won’t be defined by who casts the biggest piece, but by who can master the interfaces, between large cast nodes, extrusions, and sheet structures, while designing for manufacturability, serviceability, and cost from day one.
This isn’t a revolution that wipes out incumbents. It’s an architectural shift that redistributes work, favoring suppliers that align precision casting with smart assembly integration and repair logic.
From big & bold to smart & serviceable
Early large castings, the Gen-1 era, proved the concept but revealed the pain points. Thin walls that led to distortion, scrap, and inconsistent properties. Weight savings often fell short, repairability was minimal, and replacement was the default fix. Gen-1’s real value was learning what the factory, insurer, and service bay could not easily handle.
Gen-2 programs, especially among fast-moving Chinese OEMs, absorbed those lessons. Section thickness increased where stiffness mattered, alloys were tuned for as-cast stability, and replacement logic became intentional cut points, fastener access, and repair-friendly geometry. Scrap dropped, dimensional stability improved, tolerances were adjusted, and credible repair pathways began to change the conversation with insurers.
Now Gen-3 has arrived: modular megacasting. Instead of chasing a single monolithic rear floor or front structure, OEMs are combining large cast nodes—rear corners, longitudinals, shock towers, cradles—with extrusions and selective sheet reinforcements. The goal is balanced architecture: better crash management, faster rework, shorter lines, and more practical service. The frontier has shifted from making the monolith bigger to making the interfaces smarter.
OEM megacasting adoption summary (Sept 2025)
| OEM | Region of production | Press size | SOP year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla | NA, EU, CN | 6,000 & 9,000 ton | 2020 |
| Ford | NA | 6,100 & 9,300 ton | 2027 (planned) |
| Volvo | EU | 8,400 & 9,000 ton | 2026 (planned) |
| Volkswagen | EU | 4,400 ton | 2027 (delayed to 2032) |
| Mercedes-Benz | EU | Not disclosed (~6,000 – 8,000 ton est.) | Concept/demo |
| BMW | EU | Not disclosed | Evaluation |
| Audi | EU | Not disclosed | Evaluation |
| Toyota | JP | Large-scale (not disclosed) | Concept/demo |
| Hyundai | KR | Not disclosed | Planned, TBD |
| Honda | NA, CN | 6,100 & 12,000 ton | Planned, TBD |
| XPeng | CN | 6,800 & 12,000 & 16,000 ton | 2021 |
| Geely | CN | 7,200 ton | 2021 |
| NIO | CN | 6,800 & 8,800 ton | 2022 |
| AITO | CN | 9,000 ton | 2023 |
| Li Auto | CN | Not disclosed (~5,000+ ton) | 2024 |
| Xiaomi Auto | CN | 9,100 ton | 2024 |
| ChangAn | CN | 7,700 ton | 2024 |
| Chery | CN | 8,800 & 16,000 ton | 2025 |
| BYD | CN | 9,000 ton | 2026 (planned) |
| Neza | CN | 20,000+ ton (R&D) | Planned, TBD |
Source: Ducker Carlisle, OEM and tier suppliers’ announcement
Joining has grown up
Joining has evolved from “make it stick” to “engineer the interface.” Today’s mixed-material strategies rely on adhesives to carry structural load, supported by self-piercing rivets or flow-drill screws where access allows. Welding remains, but mostly for extrusion-to-extrusion joints away from critical cast surfaces.
The new frontier is service. OEMs now design sacrificial extrusions that bolt to robust cast nodes, enabling sectioned repairs instead of full replacements. This reduces total-loss rates after moderate crashes and shortens turnaround time for insurers and repair shops.
Alloy & foundry strategy: From parts to playbooks
Material strategy is converging on alloys that deliver more of their strength as-cast, minimizing post-treatment and distortion, while maintaining ductility through tight impurity control. Wall-thickness discipline now prevents hot spots and reduces rework.
Sustainability pressures are accelerating the use of higher recycled content and closed-loop remelt. That brings tighter chemistry windows and demands collaboration between casting, alloy, and joining engineers.
The next differentiator isn’t a new alloy; it’s a playbook. Foundries that co-locate near assembly plants, master die thermal management, and build geometry libraries with proven access points are emerging as partners, not just part makers. Those that add repair documentation, quick-change die strategies, and traceability will own the next phase of supplier value.
What it means for stampings, extrusions, & assembly
Megacasting will reduce some traditional underbody stamping content, but it won’t erase it. Stamping retains meaningful roles in closures, upper-body structures, inner reinforcements, and battery enclosures for variants that remain sheet-intensive. Also, incumbents create mechanical assemblies with legacy materials. The winners will be those who pivot from defending every panel to enabling the cast-centric or pre-assembled architectures. They will deliver stampings that are truly cast-compatible in flatness and tolerances, provide adhesive-ready surfaces, and crucially offer fixtures and cell integration that make mixed joining reliable at rate.
For welding and assembly providers, weld-hours per car may decline, but system integration opportunities expand. Lines now coordinate adhesives, mechanical fastening, in-line NDT (non-destructive testing), and rework strategies. These capabilities will define who controls process stability and throughput in cast-centric plants.
Right material, right place
In a cast-centric body, there is no single material winner. The right mix depends on crash targets, mass, cost, and service goals. Cast aluminum nodes provide the hard points and stiffness that form the backbone of the structure. Extrusions absorb and route crash loads while offering predictable, service-replaceable energy paths. Aluminum sheet delivers lightweight solutions for closures and selective floor or inner panels. Steel, meanwhile, remains indispensable where cost, dent resistance, and thermal stability dominate, especially in upper-body structures and variants that still benefit from the maturity and economics of steel stamping.
What matters most is not which material is used, but how well they integrate. Flatness, coatings, bond stack performance, and tolerance alignment determine whether a structure meets its performance targets. The most advanced suppliers are engineering those interfaces, not debating material supremacy. Integration, not substitution, is where value now accumulates.
Bottom line: Where value moves next
Megacasting doesn’t eliminate suppliers; it redefines where they win. Foundries that combine casting expertise with design, alloy development, and after-sales service capabilities will lead the field. Stampers that deliver cast-ready quality, adhesive-friendly surfaces, and precise tolerances will remain essential partners in multi-material architectures. Assembly integrators that master adhesives, rivets, inline metrology, and digital verification will own the operational stability of future lines. Extrusion and sheet suppliers that standardize crash-tuned, corrosion-resistant systems will grow faster than the broader market.
Across the industry, the value chain is converging on a single differentiator: interface mastery. The ability to make cast, sheet, and extrusion materials behave as one structure will determine who gains share as megacasting moves from showcase to standard practice. The next era of manufacturing will belong to those who engineer cohesion, not competition between materials, processes, and partners.
In short: Megacasting is less about consolidation and more about coordination. The era of “bigger parts” is giving way to the era of smarter assemblies. Those who engineer for manufacturability, service, and sustainability together will define the next generation of automotive structures.
About the Author
Leonard Ling is an automotive expert at Ducker Carlisle, a global consulting firm specializing in market research, strategy consulting, and M&A advisory services.
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