Abstract: To meet the requirements of energy-saving, emission reduction and developing new energy vehicles, lightweighting of automotive materials is one of the most important targets for technological R&D in global auto industry. In this article, recent progress on using carbon fiber reinforced composites for automobile lightweighting has been systematically reviewed based on case study of leading auto manufacturers from home and abroad. Finally, the choke points for the development of automobile lightweihting in China are summarized.

Key words: automobile lightweighting; CFRP; high performance fiber