Although they typically keep their research efforts close to the vest, automakers and automotive Tier suppliers nevertheless are always in the process of evaluating the multitude of materials available for lightweighting, in their efforts to meet fuel economy mandates. One example is automotive Tier 1 giant Magna International Inc. (Aurora, ON, Canada), a leading automotive supplier with more than 140,000 employees in 29 countries. The company started a carbon fiber composites program in 2008, says Tom Pilette, its global VP, product and process development. “We began developing composites for structural parts, as well as Class A body panels,” he recalls. At that time, Magna made a joint development agreement with commercial-grade carbon fiber manufacturer ZOLTEKCorp. (Bridgeton, MO, US), using that company’s 50K carbon tow materials in its part development efforts. “We saw the lightweighting trend coming,” he points out, “but knew it was going to be a long process.”