- 08/27/2025
- Interview
- Future Mobility
‘Shaping the future of mobility together’: the Aachen Body Engineering Days 2025 as a forum with substance
The requirements for car bodies are changing, and new production processes such as megacasting are revolutionising familiar design principles. A central forum for these topics are the Aachen Body Engineering Days (AKT), which will once again bring together experts from industry, research and development on 16 and 17 September 2025. The event is organised by fka GmbH in cooperation with the Institute for Automotive Engineering (ika) at RWTH Aachen University. We spoke to Lutz Berger from fka about this year's focus areas – and about the role that high pressure die casting can play.
Written by Editors EUROGUSS 365
Mr Berger, what was particularly important to you when designing the programme for the Aachen Car Body Days?
Lutz Berger: At the Aachen Body Engineering Days 2025, we will be addressing key topics and trends relating to vehicle bodies. This includes the presentation of current car bodies and innovative components as well as developments in areas such as joining technology, materials and manufacturing. The focus will be on new vehicle models such as the Audi A6 Avant, Li Auto i8, Lucid Gravity, BMW X3 and Audi Q6 e-tron, as well as Mahindra's ‘Inglo’ BIW platform.
One focus will be on developments in electromobility, such as battery housings made of stainless steel and composite materials, lightweight construction strategies, fire protection concepts and underbody protection systems. Aluminium remains a key topic – for example in the form of megacasting. This will be complemented by innovative materials such as a new steel grade developed by Volkswagen.
In designing the programme, we place great emphasis on technological substance and technical depth. The event is deliberately technology-driven rather than marketing-driven. High-calibre speakers from industry and research ensure well-founded contributions and high-level discussions. An open, collegial environment is particularly important to us, as it promotes international exchange.
Who are you aiming to reach with this year's format – and how has the professional audience changed compared to previous years?
Lutz Berger: AKT 2025 is aimed at an international professional audience from the automotive industry – in particular experts from the fields of body development, materials technology and manufacturing. The focus is on engineers, developers and technical decision-makers along the entire automotive value chain – from OEMs and material suppliers to system and Tier 1 suppliers. A targeted mix of audience members is particularly important to us: in addition to industry representatives, we also welcome expert consultants and external experts who want to find out about current trends, technologies and developments.
Compared to previous years, there has been no fundamental change in the composition of the audience. However, we are observing a clear trend towards internationalisation, which we see as a reflection of the growing global competition in the automotive industry.
The Body Engineering Days regularly showcase current production vehicles as exhibits. What can visitors expect this year – and what role do real vehicles play in the discussion?
Lutz Berger: Once again this year, current production vehicles will be presented as physical exhibits – including the Audi A6 Avant, the Lucid Gravity, the new BMW X3 and the Audi Q6 e-tron. Real vehicles play a central role in the technical exchange, as they bring the content of the presentations to life and establish a direct practical connection. Experiencing and, in some cases, driving these models contributes to an open, informal dialogue and creates a tangible connection to theory.
In addition, many of our exhibitors are bringing exhibits that can be viewed and discussed directly at their stands. This creates a lively platform that promotes the quality and depth of technical discussion in a sustainable way.
The event is organised by fka GmbH in cooperation with ika. What role does fka currently play in vehicle development – and in which areas are you particularly well positioned in the market?
Lutz Berger: For more than 40 years, fka GmbH has played a central role as an interdisciplinary development service provider in the early stages of tomorrow's mobility development. As an important interface between university research institutions and OEMs and suppliers, we combine scientific excellence with industrial implementation strength.
We are particularly well positioned in the market when it comes to forward-looking innovation topics – especially in the areas of modularity, sustainability, artificial intelligence, user-centred development, automated driving and ‘software-defined vehicles’.
Mega- or gigacasting is on everyone's lips. How do you assess the relevance of this concept for the industry as a whole? What technical or economic hurdles do you currently see in the use of large-format castings?
Lutz Berger: Most OEMs are now involved in megacasting, some still in the research and development phase, others already with initial series applications and the corresponding infrastructure, especially in China. In addition, a strong supplier industry has developed there in recent years, which also operates plants directly at the OEM. Thus, the relevance can currently be assessed as high, especially since the pressure on the industry to reduce production time and complexity is also high.
Nevertheless, it remains to be seen to what extent megacasting will establish itself, both in terms of its areas of application in car bodies and in terms of the vehicle segments in which the corresponding components are used. There are also approaches to producing large-format castings with a lower degree of integration on more conventional die-casting machines. This is because the high investment costs, including those for the building infrastructure required for megacasting machines, represent a significant economic hurdle. On the technical side, building up expertise in process and component design is a hurdle that should not be underestimated.
What would you like to see from foundries and casting suppliers – both in terms of their presence at the Body Engineering Days and their role in automotive structural development as a whole?
Lutz Berger: We would be delighted to see casting experts actively participating in our events so that we can expand our mutual expertise and strengthen our network. With regard to the Body Engineering Days, we would like foundries to make their technological expertise even more visible, actively seek exchange with development service providers and OEMs, and discuss with us how casting can make a significant contribution to the transformation towards electric, connected and software-defined mobility in the future.
I believe it is particularly important to bring together players from all stages of the value chain for the role in automotive structural development. Intensive dialogue is crucial, especially in the early concept stage – not only about materials and manufacturing technologies, but also about system integration, crash performance, installation space optimisation and sustainability along the entire supply chain.
That is why I want to work together to drive innovation and actively shape the future of mobility.
Thank you very much for the interview!
About Lutz Berger
Lutz Berger is a graduate engineer and Head of Vehicle Concepts, Body & Interior at fka GmbH in Aachen. In this role, he is responsible for the development and evaluation of innovative body structures, material concepts and interior architectures, among other things. His work lies at the interface between vehicle design, production technology and automotive system integration. As an fka employee, he has been bridging the gap between science and industry for many years. He is familiar with the international OEM and supplier landscape as well as the latest innovations in science, and as co-organiser of the Aachen Body Engineering Days, he contributes this expertise to the content of the event.
EUROGUSS 365 newsletter
Register so that you don't miss any information and news from the die casting industry!
Author
