This report has its origins in a 2004 meeting of the United States Automotive Materials Partnership (USAMP) Automotive Metals Division (AMD) aimed at increasing the use of magnesium in automotive applications through global collaboration. Two USAMP-AMD teams agreed to benchmark the use of magnesium, identify technical challenges to growth, develop research and development proposals, and provide a vision for expansion of magnesium into non-high pressure die casting processes. This document proposes that the current, average 3,360 lb. automobile contains 10 to 12 pounds of magnesium and that growth in the use of magnesium to 350 lbs. could reduce the weight of the vehicle by 290 lbs. The major barriers to growth were identified: cost/quality issues, engineering/manufacturing challenges and enabling infrastructure. More than 150 research and development topics are proposed to overcome these barriers.

SOURCE: Cole, G. Magnesium Vision 2020: A North American Automotive Strategic Vision for Magnesium. Eds. Jim Quinn, Elizabeth Hetrick and Susan Bairley. Southfield, MI: USAMP, 2006.