
Car Body Parts 2026
Material. Process. Progress
Car Body Parts – Materials and Forming Processes premiered in 2024 and has quickly gained significant momentum offering two intensive congress days discussing advancements in the development and production of structural and outer skin car body parts.
Building on the success of the past two editions, Automotive Circle is ready to convene its international network of materials and process experts again to evaluate the crucial link between car body material innovation and advanced production techniques.
On June 23-24, 2026, in Bad Nauheim, Germany, we are once again delighted to host this two-day congress, which features two parallel sessions dedicated to discussing the latest progress in car body parts production processes and the corresponding material developments.
Overview of parallel congress sessions

Congress Program
| Time in CEST |
Kursaal |
Spiegelsaal |
| Plenary Talks: Multi-Material Strategies for Future Car Bodies | ||
| 8.00 | Welcome and congress introduction Dr. Dirk Meine, Junaid Sheikh, Automotive Circle, DE |
|
| 8.30 | P1 BMW’s Way in Structural Part Evolution: Integrating Aluminium, Hot Stamping and Next Gen High Strength Steels Dr. Stephan Schirdewahn, BMW AG, DE; Dr. Markus Pfestorf, BMW AG, DE |
|
| 9.00 | P2 Current Trends in the Use of Magnesium – Material and Technology Hartmut Fischer, Andreas Stihl AG & Co. KG, DE |
|
| 9.30 | P3 Structural Magnesium Thixomolding Based on Aluminum Giga Casting Platforms Christian Platzer, TPI – Thixotropic Piston Injection Technology GmbH, AT |
|
| 10.00 | Meet the Speakers / Exhibition / Coffee and contacts | |
| Mega-Casting & Structural HPDC | Steel Production & Scrap-Based Solutions | |
| 10.45 | A1 Near-contour quenching for improving mechanical performance of complex structural high-pressure die-cast components Selina Freygang, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen / AUDI AG, DE |
B1 Hybrid Steelmaking for Sustainable Automotive Steels: Balancing CO₂ Reduction, Scrap Utilization and Performance Dr. Andreas Pichler, Roland Froschauer, voestalpine Stahl GmbH, AT |
| 11.15 | A2 Unlocking the potential of die-cast battery frames for next-generation BEVs Stefan Kneer, Stefan Gobs, Albert Handtmann Metallgusswerk GmbH & Co. KG, DE |
B2 Application-related properties of steel produced by the future steel production route Yannis Werner, Salzgitter Mannesmann Forschung, DE |
| 11.45 | A3 Industrializing ultra-large strucural die castings: Fourth-generation HPDC cells for maximum productivity Stefan Fritsche, YIZUMI Holdings Co. Ltd., CN |
B3 Development of scrap-based low-CO₂-steel for automotive applications Sunhwan Kwon, Hyundai Steel, KR |
| 12.15 | A4 The strategic role of the mouldmaker in the product design of mega-casting components Antonio Stefanoni, Costamp Group S.p.a., IT |
B4 On the influence of increased tramp element contents with respect to the forming properties of a CR3 and DP600 steel sheet Jonny Bernhardt, Mercedes-Benz AG, DE |
| 12.45 | Meet the Speakers / Exhibition / Lunch Break | |
| Hydrogen Embrittlement & PHS | Novel Concepts | |
| 2.00 | A5 Study on dew-point regulation in multi-layer furnaces for mitigating hydrogen embrittlement in aluminized 2000 MPa press-hardening steel Michael Machhammer, AP&T AB, SE |
B5 Enabling up to 90% material utilisation on applicable BiW components Rishabh Arora, DeepForm, GB |
| 2.30 | A6 Counteracting hydrogen embrittlement in press hardening steels by microalloy particle trapping Prof. Hardy Mohrbacher, NiobelCon BV, BE; Bernardo Barile, CBMM Europe, BE |
B6 Sustainability and new ultra-lightweight design options for car body parts Michael Probst, CAIQ GmbH, DE |
| 3.00 | A7 Applicability of Improved 22MnB5-TB Hot Forming Steel to Automotive Safety Parts Oguzhan Erdal, Beycelik Gestamp, TR |
B7 Steel Applications for Low-Volume Future Mobility: A PBV Body Structure Concept Hongwoo Lee, POSCO, KR |
| 3.30 | Meet the Speakers / Exhibition / Coffee and contacts | |
| Plenary assembly in room Kursaal | ||
| Plenary Session: Disruptive Perspectives | ||
| 4.15 | P4 Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) for Alloy Engineering: Linking Process, Structure, and Performance for Decision-Ready Design Dr. Tanner Kirk, SandboxAQ, US |
|
| 4.45 | P5 Sustainable Casting Alloys at Audi AG Dr. Marius Kohlhepp, Audi AG, DE |
|
| 5.15 | P6 Hot stamping: Dead or alive? Ersel Ozden, Toyotetsu, TR |
|
| 6.00 | Meet the Speakers / Exhibition / Get together | |
| 7.00 | Networking Dinner | |
| Time in CEST |
Kursaal |
Spiegelsaal |
| Advanced Casting Alloys & Composite Casting Integration | Hybrid & Circular Composite Structures | |
| 8.00 | A8 Beyond the Oven: Advanced Casting Alloys for the Era of Megacasting and Sustainable Car Body Integration tba, Alcoa |
B8 Hybrid Structural Solutions for car body reinforcements: a lightweight, cost-efficient, and easy-to-manufacture solution Marwen Chatti, Henkel AG & Co. KG, DE |
| 8.30 | A9 New approach for the composite casting of aluminum sheets and profiles in high-pressure die-casting Christoph Pille, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM, DE |
B9 System-Level Approaches to Scalable and Circular Lightweight Car Body Structures Martin Wachtel, HRC Europe, ES |
| 9.00 | Meet the Speakers / Exhibition / Coffee and contacts | |
| 3rd Gen AHSS | Aluminium Innovation | |
| 9.30 | A10 From validation to implementation: industrial validation of 3rd Gen AHSS for lightweight structures Pietro Licignano, Stellantis, IT; Valentina Pau, MA Srl, IT |
B10 From Monolithic to Modular: A Multi-Profile Extrusion Design for Improved Crash and Cost Performance Kai Schwarz, William Hammond, Constellium, DE |
| 10.00 | A11 Local formability and edge crack sensitivity of AHSS Thomas Schadow, Volkswagen AG, DE |
B11 Lightweighting of complex automotive structures by advanced blow forming and novel crossover approach Leonardo Daniele Scintilla, FONTANA GROUP, IT; Dr. Ramona Tosone, AMAG Rolling GmbH, AT |
| 10.30 | A12 1470 MPa grade galvannealed steel sheet for cold stamped body frame parts Nao Kawabe, JFE Steel Corporation, JP |
B12 Car-to-Car Recycling: Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Aluminium Automotive Parts Dr. Florian Rödl, Dr. h.c.F. Porsche AG, DE; Dr. Ole Daaland, Hydro Aluminium AS, NO |
| 11.00 | Meet the Speakers / Exhibition / Coffee and contacts | |
| AI-Powered Quality Control | Stamping Process Innovations (I) | |
| 11.30 | A13 AI-Driven Design-to-Order: Real-Time Error Detection and Stock Control in Sheet Metal Production Aycan Dogan, Emre Hür, Ford Otosan, TR |
B13 Integration of 3D Printing into Press Hardening Steel Laser Welded Blanks: Technology for Enhanced Performance and Design Flexibility Cristian Alvarez Robledo, ArcelorMittal, FR |
| 12.00 | A14 AI-based Defect Detection – Moving from end of line to early in line testing Fabian Oberndorfer, Resoniks, NL |
B14 A technological journey from 70% to 100% integrating external factors into the digital twin for sheet metal forming Mustafa Yenice, Coşkunöz Metal Form, TR |
| 12.30 | A15 Efficient automated inline surface inspection and quality control in press and body shop Hubert Lechner, Newston Automated Solutions GmbH, DE |
B15 Development of a multi-stage molding method to improve the exterior quality of door handles Seungho Oh, Hyundai Motor Group, KR |
| 1.00 | Meet the Speakers / Exhibition / Lunch Break | |
| Joining Technologies for Multi-Material Bodies | Stamping Process Innovations (II) | |
| 2.00 | A16 Simulation of local suitability for bonding aluminium high-pressure die casting parts Sebastian Krischke, Braunschweig University of Technology – Institute for Joining and Welding Technology, DE |
B16 Material robustness in BIW part production – How trimming of global and local formability in todays advanced high strength steels improves efficiency in cold stamping Patrick Kuhn, ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG, DE |
| 2.30 | A17 Laser welding aluminum die-cast: Ensuring process stability and ROI in the automotive industry Robert Bernhard, Civan Lasers Europe GmbH, DE |
B17 X-RAS coating application for PHS material Anthony An, Pressler Technologies Group Co., Ltd, CN |
| 3.00 | A18 Quality, Cost and Sustainability of Friction Stir Welded Aluminium Car Body Parts and Structural Components Stephan Kallee, Stirweld GmbH, DE |
B18 Stamping Modeling Automation by Using Rule-based AI Dr. Steven Sheng, GM, US |
| 3.30 | Plenary Assembly in room Kursaal | |
| 3.35 | P6 OEM conclusions/Outlook Members of the Advisory Board on their congress summary and future outlook in Car Body Part development and production |
|
| 4.00 | Farewell address and end of the congress | |
All times in CEST.
Program is subject to change. Status as of: April 10, 2026
Participants
OEM Advisory Board
Thomas Heußer
Audi
Marc Hummel
Audi
Dr. Martin Kasparbauer
Audi
Dr. Thomas Kopp
BMW
Dr. Markus Pfestorf
BMW
Klaus Sammer
BMW
Dr. Kadir Akcan
Ford Otosan
Jochen Schenk
Ford-Werke GmbH
Jason Coryell
General Motors
Jatinder P. Singh
General Motors
Kenichi Kawasaki
Honda
Dr. Taejeong Kim
Hyundai
Rebecca Hitch
Jaguar Land Rover
Anthony Riley
Jaguar Land Rover
Fumihiko Gejima
Nissan
Yvan Chastel
Renault
Thomas d´Hautefeuille
Renault
Ghislaine Couturier
Stellantis
Dr. Jenni Meiners
Stellantis
Andrea Pipino
Stellantis
Michele Maria Tedesco
Stellantis
Edip Ozer Arman
Toyota Motor Europe
Dr. Isotta Cerri
Toyota Motor Europe
Richard Johansson
Volvo Cars
Niklas Sonesson
Volvo Cars
Dr. Chris Frohwein
Volkswagen
Tianqi Li
Zeekr
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Take advantage of the high coverage of the Automotive Circle and profit from the sponsoring options before and during the events. Show your competence and services, matching the conference subjects, to the numerous car body engineers of international OEM. Thus, you are strengthening your brand awareness in the automotive industry!
Come on board as an exhibitor or sponsor and benefit from this excellent platform to strongly promote your company’s capabilities as a reliable supplier!
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Review
Impressions of Car Body Parts: Materials and Forming Processes 2025
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