“They don’t make them like they used to.”
If I had a nickel for every social post about cars that starts with that phrase, I’d be… well, I’d have a lot of nickels.
I understand the nostalgia for big muscle cars of past decades – they really looked cool, especially cruising down Woodward Avenue in my beloved Detroit. But over time, automakers decided that they don’t want to make them like they used to.
Report: Chemistry and Automobiles
Why? A recent report identifies the three big reasons, a combination that I call the “automotive trifecta”: fuel efficiency, performance, and safety. The report demonstrates how the transition from heavier materials to lighter-weight plastic and polymer composites helps enable the auto trifecta.
The latest update to the Chemistry and Automobiles report (American Chemistry Council, September 2025) reveals the value and breadth of the plastic used in autos that improve fuel-efficiency, performance, and safety.
Fuel Efficiency
The weight of plastic used per auto reached an average of 429 pounds, an increase of 19% over a decade (it’s been increasing for decades). Displacing heavier materials with strong yet lightweight plastic helps reduce the weight of autos.
Plastic = 10% of weight, 50% of volume of autos
REPORT: “Plastics account for over 50% of a vehicle’s volume but less than 10% of its weight. Weight reduction in automotive design is a key driver in boosting fuel efficiency, reducing emissions, and lowering operating costs for motorists.”
“Average fuel efficiency (real-world miles per gallon) reached 26.9 MPG in 2023, more than double the 1975 average.”
Remember: Those muscle cars from the 70s looked great but got terrible gas mileage.
Performance
The report identifies multiple components in today’s autos that perform better (or even work at all!) because of plastic:
- Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS)
- Navigation systems
- Adaptive cruise control
- Infotainment systems
- EV batteries (and conventional ones, too)
- Safety glass
- Hoses and gaskets
- Frames (helping reinforcement)
- Tires
- Noise/vibration components
- Dozens more…
Plastic also allows more intricate shaping of interior components (seats, arm rests, dashboards, air bags, compartments) and exterior components (bumpers, hoods, fenders, sunroofs), which makes driving more comfortable and improves aerodynamics and handling.
Simply put, these performance enhancing components combine to make cars more dependable and fun to drive. Just compare the dependability and handling of a 70’s cruiser to any modern sedan.
And don’t get me started on the potential of “shape memory polymers” to further improve auto performance… (Paste that in your search bar if you’re interested.)
Safety
Fuel efficiency and performance are important. But safety is vital.
Safety advances in today’s vehicles save countless lives and reduce injuries. Plastic enables air bags, seat belts and safety glass plus energy absorbing innovations such as front-end modules, modular seats and bumpers that protect us every day.
REPORT: “According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):
- The use of seat belts (lap and shoulder belts) – which are typically made from polyester – reduces the risk of front seat passenger deaths by 45% in passenger cars.”
- “Air bags – which are commonly made from high-strength nylon fabric – are credited with saving 50,457 lives in the period from 1987 to 2017.”
“Fiber-reinforced polymer composites can absorb four times the crush energy of steel while polypropylene and polyurethane foams and other polymer composites provide additional impact protection.”
Auto Trifecta
Fuel-efficiency. Performance. Safety. It’s the auto trifecta that automakers focus on every day. And as this new report demonstrates, that trifecta is enabled in big part by plastic and polymer composites.
Perhaps no automaker said it better than Ford:
“Few innovations provide a more wide-ranging performance and efficiency advantage than reducing weight. All factors of a vehicle’s capabilities – acceleration, handling, braking, safety, efficiency – can improve through the use of advanced, lighter materials.”
Nostalgia might lead some to assume that past cars were superior or that rigid metal protects people better than energy-absorbing plastic and composites. I suspect that’s one of the reasons we see so many social posts harkening back to the way cars used to be made.
But the auto trifecta represents three really solid reasons “they don’t make them like they used to.”
