More and more leading automotive companies are abandoning traditional copper wiring and switching to aluminum – a trend that could trigger serious shifts in the global demand for one of the most important industrial metals. "Ferrari" and "BMW" are already launching new models with aluminum cables, joining "Tesla" and a number of Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers in an industry-wide transition motivated by record copper prices and the pursuit of weight reduction.
Cost and weight: why copper is giving way to aluminum
The decision to replace copper with aluminum is not accidental, but is based on an economic equation between "value" and "weight." Interviews with 18 automotive companies, cable manufacturers, metal firms, and consultants, cited by international media, show that the record rise in copper prices in 2026 is a key factor: the ratio between the price of copper and aluminum reached a value of 4.3 in January – significantly above the 3.5–4.0 threshold at which, according to industry experts, a change of material begins to be considered.
Currently, copper is trading at around $15,000 per metric ton, while aluminum is approximately $3,100. Against this backdrop, the switch to aluminum is becoming increasingly attractive, even though it has lower electrical conductivity. Aluminum provides about 61% of copper's conductivity, meaning that the wires must be approximately 1.6 times larger in cross-section. However, the lower weight and significantly lower price justify the investment in reorienting production.
Ferrari and BMW: concrete steps toward lighter wiring
"Ferrari" reports that it switched to aluminum wiring in the "296" model last year, while simultaneously reducing the cross-section of the cables. The result is a 15–20% reduction in the total weight of the wiring. For a company where every kilogram matters for dynamics and efficiency, this is a significant engineering achievement.
"BMW," for its part, notes that it first used aluminum wiring as early as 2011 in the subcompact 1 Series model and has since gradually expanded the practice. With the introduction of the sixth-generation "eDrive" technology last year, the German manufacturer now uses aluminum cables in both the high-voltage and low-voltage systems of its electrified vehicles. This shows that for BMW, the change is not an experiment, but part of a long-term strategy.
Tesla and Chinese EVs: pioneers in aluminum wiring
"Tesla" is among the first companies to introduce aluminum in automotive wiring. Since 2019, the American manufacturer has used aluminum cables in the "Model Y" and later in the "Cybertruck." This comes after the company already implemented large aluminum casting machines (gigacasting) to simplify the chassis design, which facilitates the integration of new materials.
The Chinese automotive industry is quickly following this example. American consulting firm "Caresoft," which specializes in vehicle teardowns and component analysis, finds that manufacturers like "AVATR," "XPeng," and "Xiaomi" have already switched to aluminum wiring in some of their electric vehicles. Thus, in one of the most dynamically developing segments – the Chinese EV market – aluminum is establishing itself as a new standard.
Stellantis, Toyota, and Volkswagen: different approaches to replacement
According to industry sources, "Stellantis" – the world's fourth-largest automaker by sales volume – is also replacing copper with aluminum in the wiring of some of its models, although the company does not officially comment on details. "Toyota" reports that it is evaluating various materials and may switch to aluminum depending on the specific application and technical requirements.
"Volkswagen" states that it does not currently plan a large-scale transition from copper to aluminum wiring, but it already uses aluminum in specific applications. This shows that the approach is not uniform: some manufacturers see aluminum as a strategic solution for overall cost and weight reduction, while others use it more cautiously, in specific systems.
Impact on the global copper market
Financial institutions are already trying to assess the effect of this trend on the copper market. "JPMorgan" predicts that replacing copper with aluminum in the automotive sector could affect about 2% of global copper demand this year. At first glance, the percentage seems small, but given the scale of the automotive industry and the prospect of the practice expanding, the effect could intensify in the medium term.
The change is not limited to automobiles. "Prysmian" – the world's largest manufacturer of electrical cables – reports that to date it uses about 40% aluminum by weight in its products, compared to 37% five years ago, in combination with 60% copper. "Nexans," the second-largest cable manufacturer, expects stable growth in demand for both metals, but predicts that aluminum will occupy an increasingly large share of investments in power grids due to its price advantage.
Technological compromises and future trends
Replacing copper with aluminum brings not only economic but also engineering challenges. Lower conductivity requires wires with larger cross-sections, and this means a change in the design of cable harnesses, connecting elements, and even some of the vehicle's architecture. Nevertheless, manufacturers are willing to bear these costs to save weight and material costs, especially in electric models where any reduction in mass positively impacts range and efficiency.
For the automotive industry, the trend toward aluminum wiring is part of a broader transition toward optimizing mass, costs, and efficiency in the context of electrification. For the metals market, it means a potential restructuring of demand – with a gradual but noticeable reduction in the use of copper in some key segments and its displacement by a cheaper, albeit technically more compromised material such as aluminum.