Advances in automobile technology are dictated to some extent by the pace of development in materials research. This book, based on a workshop for graduate students in materials science and engineering, presents an overview of the materials currently in use in the automotive industry, and those in development for future implementation.

The book is divided into four sections. The first consists of contributions from those working in the industrial sector, and describes how modern industrial manufacturing methods are applied to 'traditional' materials such as aluminium and steel. The concluding chapters of this section consider how future technologies will be integrated into manufacturing methods. Section 2 reviews so-called 'functional materials', including electronic materials and smart materials. It also contains a chapter which considers the behaviour of automotive materials during impacts, and the modelling of designs to reduce damage caused in this way. Section 3 reviews advances made in the design of structures using lightweight metals and alloys. The final section reviews processing and manufacturing techniques, including those used in specific engineering scenarios.