
Joining in Car Body Engineering 2026
Every year in April, the three-day Automotive Circle conference on Joining in Car Body Engineering, held in Bad Nauheim, Germany, presents recent supplier innovations, latest OEM application reports (accompanied by car body exhibits, whenever possible) and new, application-oriented academic studies, discussing progress and latest trends on all aspects of industrially relevant car body joining technologies, with an audience of expert automotive engineers from all over the world.
Please note the date: The next Joining in Car Body Engineering conference in Bad Nauheim will take place on April 14-16, 2026.
Conference Structure
The three conference days consist of two, separately bookable modules:
Module 1, covering progress in Adhesive Bonding and Hybrid Bonding technologies, starts on the first conference day and ends in the early afternoon of the second.
Module 2, covering developments in Thermal and Mechanical Joining technologies, starts in the morning of the second conference day and ends in the afternoon of the third.
The first sessions or the second conference day feature a joint program of presentations for participants of either module, with topics that are presumed to be of interest to all participants, for instance OEM presenting the full joining concept of a recently launched car body project.

Call For Speakers
Coping with uncertainties and critical situations, growing competition, adapting to the “China Speed” of development, and great cost pressure may be the sign(s) of the times, particularly affecting the automotive industry. All the more, orientation, an exchange of views and information, and the profound knowledge on what is technically viable are of key importance.
When it comes to car body development and production, finding the best and most efficient joining technologies remains crucial. Joining concepts need to embrace and handle the current situation without compromising goals on production flexibility, joint performance, sustainability and recyclability, lightweight design – structurally integrating next-generation battery cases and/or (mega)castings as well.
Hence, on April 14-16, 2026, Automotive Circle’s renowned international conference on Joining in Car Body Engineering again sets out to discuss most recent progress in all industrially relevant body shop processes with its network of experts in Bad Nauheim, Germany.
Specifically, the conference aims to present latest developments in the following areas:
New and improved joining solutions for…
- challenging materials and material combinations
- castings
- battery cases and their integration on the car body
- high- and ultra-high-strength materials
- additively manufactured components
Industry-ready joining technology innovations, for instance…
- new, non-melting welding processes
- novel mechanical joining technologies
Adhesive bonding innovations, concerning…
- new structural, supporting or sealing adhesive bonding applications
- more precise and efficient adhesives application processes
- advances in adhesives development
More efficient joining processes, via…
- improvements in throughput, stability, robustness, reproducibility, maintenance or upstream process requirements
- reduction of heat input during joining, avoidance of distortions and material damage
- AI process control and digitalization solutions in the body shop; efficient process and data management and data analyses
- reliable and efficient simulations of joining processes, hybrid joining processes, or thermal expansion (delta alpha simulations)
- new techniques for effective quality and process control
Increased flexibility and reduced complexity in the body shop, by means of…
- larger process windows and extended applicability of joining processes
- new possibilities for joining one-sided or difficult-to-access joints
- optimised body shop layouts
Sustainability and design-for-circularity concepts, e.g. …
- Recycling-friendly joining technologies and joining concepts
- Concepts and solutions for effective end-of-vehicle-live de-joining and debonding
- Solutions to reduce the scope-1, scope-2 and scope-3 CO2 footprint of body shops or specific industrial joining processes
- Joinability of recycled, secondary materials (steel, aluminium, plastics)
Your Speaking Opportunity
We cordially invite you to send us your proposal for a half-hour technical presentation, reporting about your latest developments and ideas with relevance to the conference topics as outlined above.
As an interested speaker, kindly submit an abstract describing your suggested contribution via our ONLINE SUBMISSION FORM. Based on your input, we will evaluate your suggestion in collaboration with the OEM Advisory Board of the conference. Please note that all presentations have to be submitted and held in English. One speaker per company per presentation will be invited to the full conference.
Based on your abstract, your submission will be evaluated in collaboration with the OEM Advisory Board of the conference. In that process, the novelty of your results, their industrial relevance and the engineering-oriented, technical character of your proposal will be of particular importance.
Deadlines
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: November 14, 2025
- Notification of acceptance: by end of November 2025
- Publication of the conference program: mid December 2025
- Submission of the presentation documents (pdf): March 20, 2026
For an accepted contribution, one speaker per presenting company (max. two companies) are invited to take part in the corresponding conference module, i.e. exempt of the conference fees.
Conference Program
The conference program will be published in December 2026.
Participants
International OEM Advisory Board
Mario Prokop
Audi
Thomas Richter
BMW
Stefan Axmacher
Ford-Werke GmbH
Dr. Blair Carlson
General Motors Company
Anthony Leanza
Honda Development and Manufacturing of America
Michael Pearson
Jaguar Land Rover Group Ltd.
Holger Schubert
Mercedes-Benz
Taishi Tarui
Nissan Motors Co. Ltd.
Véronique Sorel
Renault
Stefan Leber
Stellantis Germany
Christian Borowetz
Volkswagen AG
Dr. Per Lindahl
Volvo Cars
Exhibition & Sponsoring
Become a sponsor or exhibitor
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!
Check out the various exibition and sponsoring options!