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Equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) is a promising novel technique for inducing microstructural refinement in polycrystalline materials by imposing large plastic strains. In this paper, several topics on ECAE of materials for potential automotive applications are briefly addressed. The reported results include 1) microstructural evolution and mechanical behavior of ECAE processed copper, 2) welding behavior of ECAE and other copper alloy spot welding electrodes, 3) microstructural changes associated with breaking up and homogeneously distributing second phase particles in aluminum alloys, and 4) beneficial effects of large deformations on the strength of rapidly solidified stainless steels. These results demonstrate the potential of ECAE for producing improved alloys for automotive applications, as well as indicate technological challenges and directions of future work.