Decrypted Tech: Volvo EX60 and Megacasting — The Real Story Is How EVs Are Built

Volvo started production of the EX60 on April 28, 2026 — its first vehicle built using megacasting technology. This isn’t just a new model announcement. It’s the signal that the manufacturing revolution sweeping Tesla’s factories is now spreading industry-wide.

Megacasting replaces 60 to 100 welded steel parts with a single high-pressure die-cast aluminium structure
Tesla pioneered the technology; now Volvo, BYD, Zeekr, NIO, and XPeng have all joined in
The real question isn’t how it’s made — it’s what it means for cost and repairability

What Is Megacasting, Exactly?

Look at the underside of a traditional vehicle and you’ll see dozens of stamped steel parts welded together to form the structure — essentially a metal puzzle, with all that implies: welding robots, complex assembly lines, and potential weak points at every joint.

Megacasting does the opposite. Molten aluminium is injected under enormous pressure into a massive mold — we’re talking presses that can exert up to 9,000 tonnes of force — and in a single shot, you get a complete structural component. On the Volvo EX60, that’s the entire rear structure: 60 to 100 welded steel parts replaced by one precisely cast aluminium piece.

Rear megacasting of the Volvo EX60 in Torslanda, Sweden

Volvo Joins the Club — and That’s More Significant Than It Sounds

Tesla blazed this trail with the Model Y, replacing front and rear structures starting around 2020-2021. The industry was skeptical at the time. The results speak for themselves: weight reduction, simpler assembly, fewer robots on the line.

What’s significant in 2026 is that this technology is definitively leaving Tesla’s orbit and becoming an industry standard. BYD, Zeekr, NIO, and XPeng are already running it in production in China. An EU-funded project called MAXIMA is working to make it accessible to smaller manufacturers. And now Volvo — serious Swedish engineering credentials intact — is deploying it on a series-production vehicle at its Torslanda plant in Sweden.

The direction is clear: in five years, you’ll have a hard time finding a mainstream EV that doesn’t use some form of large-format casting.

The first Volvo EX60 rolls off the line at the Torslanda plant as part of the Start of Production Event

The Trade-Off Nobody Wants to Talk About

There’s a problem with megacasting, and the industry knows it. When your traditional vehicle took a rear impact, a body shop could replace a few panels and straighten some structural elements. With a megacast aluminium piece, even moderate structural damage can make the entire component irreparable — and irreplaceable as a unit.

Tesla has taken heat for exactly this. Accidents that would have cost $3,000 to repair on a conventional sedan have led to vehicles being declared total losses. Insurers have started factoring this into premiums. Several U.S. states have launched investigations into repairability concerns.

Recent accounts from Cybertruck owners who had their rear casting repaired show that Tesla has learned from the Model Y experience — integrating cut lines that allow repair without full replacement, and using aerospace-grade adhesives to restore the original shape and rigidity. A U.S. YouTuber who is typically critical of Tesla praised the ingenuity and quality of the repair on his vehicle.

Volvo has not yet clarified how it intends to handle this issue on the EX60. That’s the question worth asking.

car bodies roll through the final assembly. The EX60 begins production in the Volvo Cars Torslanda plant in Gothenburg, Sweden.

What It Means for Canadian Buyers, in the End

The EX60 is unlikely to reach Canada any time soon — it’s primarily targeted at European markets, and its compact dimensions don’t align well with North American preferences. The technology it carries, however, will.

The next generation of EVs arriving at Canadian dealerships — whether successor models to the IONIQ 5 and 6, new entries from GM or Ford, or Chinese brands pushing into North America — will almost certainly use megacasting or an equivalent. For Canadian buyers, that means potentially cheaper EVs to produce (and buy), but also new questions to ask your insurer and dealer before signing.

Three things to watch over the coming months: Will Volvo set a clearer repairability standard than Tesla did? Will presses exceeding 9,000 tonnes actually translate into lower sticker prices, or just better margins for automakers? And will collision repair industry standards keep pace?

Joining of the rear casting with the rest of the EX60 body

The Pros and Cons of Megacasting

The EX60 is joining a lineup of EVs bringing meaningful changes in architecture and how drivers interact with their vehicle. Here are both sides of the — aluminium — coin.

Pros

Weight reduction and range gains: Aluminium is lighter than steel. By replacing dozens of components with a single cast structure, the vehicle sheds considerable mass. For an EV, the equation is straightforward: less weight means better energy efficiency and, as a result, more range.
Lower production costs and complexity: Eliminating 60 to 100 welded parts means less stamping, fewer welding robots on the assembly line, and less factory floor space. This manufacturing efficiency speeds up production and should, in theory, translate into a more competitive purchase price for the end consumer.
Improved structural rigidity: A single cast piece, free of welds and joints, offers more uniform rigidity than an assembly of multiple parts. This translates into a stiffer body structure, which improves both passive safety in a collision and driving dynamics — better handling, less flex, a more solid feel behind the wheel.

Cons

Complex repairability and total loss risk: This is the core issue. When an accident affects the structure, straightening a cast aluminium piece is often impossible — the metal risks cracking. Despite engineering efforts such as built-in cut lines, severe damage still too often sends a vehicle to the scrapyard for an impact that would have been repairable on a traditional chassis.
The impact on insurance premiums: Insurers dislike uncertainty and costly repairs. Faced with the increased risk of declaring a vehicle a total loss — or paying for complex repair procedures — many insurers are already adjusting premiums upward for vehicles using this technology. For Canadian buyers, this is a real, concrete factor to weigh before signing.
Body shop expertise gap: Not every collision repair shop is equipped to work on megacast structures. Specialized training, tooling, and certifications are required. This creates a two-tier market: certified shops capable of handling the work, and shops that simply cannot. In less urban areas, access to qualified repair facilities could become a genuine problem.