The lightweighting race: How mainland China's automakers are tackling rising vehicle weight

As larger vehicles and electrification drive curb weights higher, OEMs are turning to advanced steels, aluminum gigacasting, magnesium alloys and integrated vehicle architectures to improve efficiency and sustainability.

Automakers in mainland China are increasingly facing challenges associated with rising vehicle weights, which can lead to lower fuel efficiency and higher CO₂ emissions in internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, as well as reduced driving range in electric vehicles. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's (MIIT) annual publications on the average curb mass of passenger cars, nearly all domestic automakers have steadily increased the average curb weight of their vehicle fleets over the past several years.