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Copper clad aluminum wire and copper clad steel wire are commercial products widely used in the telecommunications and electric utility industries, but they are not currently used to a great extent by the automotive industry. Copper clad aluminum is most often chosen as a lighter, lower cost substitute for copper. It is especially efficient for high frequency applications where its impedance is often no greater than solid copper. Copper clad steel is usually applied where strength is important and lower conductivity can be accepted. In addition to wire applications in other industries, bimetallic wire has unique properties that make it attractive for automotive applications. Two new areas of application are suggested: The use of copper clad aluminum to reduce the weight and conductor cost of power cables. The use of smaller diameter copper clad steel for wiring leads that are now sized based on strength rather than conductivity.

Automotive exhaust systems operate under service conditions that place severe demands on their materials of construction. Fortunately, there are several material choices available to the system design engineer. Among these materials are aluminum coated carbon steel, various grades of stainless steel and aluminum coated stainless steel. Each of these materials has its own unique set of properties, and they of course sell at different prices. The challenge to the design engineer is to develop a combination of material selections and system design that will meet his company's durability goals at the lowest possible total raw material and manufacturing cost. The North American market has widely adopted 12% chromium stainless steels for exhaust system applications. The forward or hot sections of the exhaust system are usually made from uncoated material, while a significant portion of the cold section material is coated with aluminum.