The body in white is the stage in automobile manufacturing where the vehicle's structural frame and sheet metal panels have been welded together. At this point, the bare metal shell contains no moving parts, glass, electronics, or paint. It serves as the foundational structure that dictates the vehicle's crash safety, weight, and suspension geometry.
We're shipping the body in white to the paint shop next week for the e-coat process.
Race teams often purchase a factory body in white directly from the manufacturer so they can weld in a custom roll cage without having to strip a fully assembled car.
Related terms
BIW
The structural shell of a vehicle before painting, trim, or subassemblies are added.
Body in black
The bare structural shell of a vehicle constructed entirely from carbon fiber composites.
Unibody
A unibody is a vehicle construction method where the floor pan and body shell are welded into a single load-bearing structure.
Platform
The shared underlying architecture and mechanical components used across multiple vehicle models.