On April 22, 2026, Volvo Cars officially started production of the EX60 at its Torslanda plant in Gothenburg, Sweden. The EX60 is the first Volvo model built with megacasting — and one of the clearest signs yet that large-scale aluminum die casting is moving from EV-industry experiment to mainstream manufacturing standard.
What Is Megacasting?
Megacasting — also called gigacasting or unicasting depending on the automaker — uses high-pressure aluminum die casting machines to produce very large, single-piece structural components. On the EX60, the rear underbody structure is cast as one aluminum part, replacing 60 to 100 individual stamped and welded steel components.
The result is a simpler assembly process, fewer weld joints to inspect, and a lighter structure overall — all of which matter for EV range and manufacturing cost.
The Torslanda Investment
To support EX60 production, Volvo committed around SEK 10 billion (approximately $1 billion USD) to retool the Torslanda facility. The upgrades cover:
- New megacasting equipment and process lines
- A purpose-built battery assembly plant
- A fully refurbished paint shop and final assembly line
Customer deliveries are scheduled to begin in early summer 2026. The EX60 offers up to 810 km of range and 10–80% charging in 16 minutes, positioned at a price point close to the XC60 PHEV.
Why This Matters Beyond Volvo
The EX60 launch is significant for the broader die casting supply chain, not just for Volvo. It represents the first European mass-market EV to enter production with megacasting at this scale — and it follows a pattern that is accelerating across OEMs globally.
| OEM | Technology Name | Status (as of May 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla | Gigacasting | In production since 2020 (Model Y rear, front underbody) |
| Volvo | Megacasting | EX60 production started April 2026 |
| Ford | Unicasting | Louisville plant retooling; EV pickup production expected 2027 |
| Honda | Megacasting | Bühler Carat 610 machines installed at Anna Engine Plant, Ohio |
| Toyota / Nissan | Gigacasting | Development confirmed; vehicle integration in progress |
Ford's approach is notable. The company is replacing 146 separate parts in the front and rear chassis of its upcoming electric pickup with just two aluminum unicastings — reducing weight by 27% compared to the equivalent assembly and cutting fastener count by the same margin. Ford is investing $2 billion to retool its Louisville Assembly Plant for this process, with volume production planned for 2027.
What This Means for Die Casting Suppliers
For aluminum die casting manufacturers, the shift to megacasting creates both opportunity and pressure.
On the opportunity side: OEMs need casting partners with the technical capability to produce large, structurally critical parts to tight dimensional tolerances. This is not commodity work. Alloy selection, mold thermal management, and post-cast quality control all become more demanding as part size increases.
On the pressure side: megacasting concentrates part consolidation at the OEM level. Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers that previously produced dozens of smaller stamped or cast components risk being designed out of the assembly altogether.
The shift also raises new demands around alloy specification. Large structural castings used in EV underbodies require alloys that deliver high strength without post-cast heat treatment — a constraint that shapes material selection from the start of the design process. For aluminum die casting suppliers working with automotive OEMs, having a rigorous incoming material inspection process is now essential: spectrometer verification of alloy composition before every production batch is a baseline requirement, not a differentiator.
The Sustainability Angle
Chalmers University of Technology, which has been researching megacasting in connection with the EX60 program, notes that the technology has sustainability implications beyond weight reduction. Fewer parts in a structure means fewer production steps, less energy consumption in assembly, and a simpler end-of-life disassembly profile. The single large aluminum casting is also, in principle, easier to recycle as a homogeneous material compared to a mixed-material welded assembly.
That said, megacasting is energy-intensive at the casting stage itself. Closed-loop recycling systems for the aluminum scrap generated — runners, gates, and rejected castings — are increasingly viewed as a necessary part of making the process genuinely sustainable at scale. This is an area where upstream die casting operations, including our own internal scrap recycling process at Meituo's aluminum die casting production lines, are directly relevant to OEM sustainability targets.
Sources
Volvo Cars Press Release — "Volvo Cars starts production of game-changing EX60"
https://www.volvocars.com/intl/media/press-releases/24928A8C5C6C5E4E/
Automotive Manufacturing Solutions — "Volvo Cars begins EX60 production at Torslanda"
https://www.automotivemanufacturingsolutions.com/electrification/volvo-cars-begins-ex60-production-at-torslanda/2650220
Chalmers University of Technology — "Volvo EX60 shows the way for megacasting"
https://www.chalmers.se/en/current/news/prod-volvo-ex60-shows-the-way-for-megacasting/
Autoblog — "After a $19.5 Billion Reset, Ford Is Reinventing How It Builds EVs"
https://www.autoblog.com/news/ford-is-reinventing-how-evs-are-built-to-cut-costs-and-boost-range
Automotive News — "How 'unicasting' could make Ford's next EV pickup cheaper to fix"
https://www.autonews.com/ford/an-ford-unicasting-repair-costs-0319/
