Automotive metalworking demand is projected to keep expanding through 2035, with EV platform programs and multi-material body structures acting as the two main growth engines, according to a new market report from research firm IndexBox.

The forecast period — stretching a full decade out — signals how suppliers of forming, machining, stamping and joining equipment are now planning capacity around vehicle programs that OEMs have only begun to launch.

What is driving the expansion?

IndexBox identifies two structural shifts behind the projected growth.

• EV platform demand. Dedicated electric vehicle architectures require new tooling, dies and machining lines, replacing or supplementing capacity built around internal-combustion platforms. Each new EV program typically triggers a re-tooling cycle at tier-one and tier-two metal parts suppliers.
• Multi-material structures. As OEMs mix steel grades, aluminum and other materials within a single body-in-white to hit weight and cost targets, suppliers face additional investment in joining, forming and processing equipment.

The report frames both trends as durable rather than cyclical, which is why the forecast horizon extends to 2035 rather than the usual five-year window.

Why the forecast horizon matters

A ten-year outlook matches the cadence of OEM platform decisions. Vehicle architectures locked in over the next several years will determine where metalworking capacity — presses, machining centers, die shops — gets built and retrofitted through mid-century planning cycles.

For plant operators and equipment suppliers, the practical question is timing: EV platform launches and multi-material body programs convert into tooling orders well ahead of start of production, so capacity decisions made now rest on program commitments that OEMs have announced but, in many cases, not yet executed.

IndexBox publishes the underlying statistics alongside the forecast, allowing suppliers to benchmark demand by segment and region.

What to watch next

Verification now falls to production data. Watch for OEM tooling awards tied to next-generation EV platforms, capacity announcements from stamping and machining suppliers, and any slippage in EV program timing — the single largest variable behind a 2035 forecast built on electrification.