Leading the field in the manufacture of aluminium vehicles, Audi was the first to create an all-aluminium luxury car, the A2, the new TT, the A8 and Audi's supercar, the R8. Other premium manufacturers are following suit, increasing the demand for specialist aluminium repairs by trained professionals. It is expected that the majority of prestige brands will make extensive use of aluminium in the production of luxury vehicles in the future.

Aluminium will form the future of vehicle production. The advantages of aluminium over steel guarantee that a greater proportion of aluminium will be used in manufacturing the vehicles of the future:

• Lightweight: Aluminium is four times lighter than steel

• Fuel economy: The huge weight advantage of aluminium over steel improves performance. An all-aluminium vehicle will have a smaller engine and fuel tank than its steel equivalent. This 10% weight reduction in the vehicle boosts fuel efficiency by over 8%

• Strength: Aluminium is 2.5 times stronger than steel

• Safer: Aluminium reacts differently to other metals, absorbing twice the energy of steel in the event of an accident

• Non-corrosive: Aluminium does not rust

• Recyclable: More environmentally friendly than other metals

• Abundant: Aluminium is one of the most plentiful and readily obtainable metals in the world, although it is currently difficult to extract and expensive to process. Improves reliability and reduces assembly costs by reducing the number of parts required to make the body of the vehicle.