Cast parts are pretty strong and typically you'll put some energy absorbing fixtures in places likely to get hit, attached in a way that's cheaper to replace.

Cast parts are pretty strong and typically you'll put some energy absorbing fixtures in places likely to get hit, attached in a way that's cheaper to replace. Once you get into the innards of the car, if it's dealing with enough energy to deform it, you're looking at writing the vehicle off anyhow. My car's got molded sheet metal welded together to make the core of the car; if it gets hit hard enough to wad up the shock towers holding the front suspension in the right place, the car's toast. If my car's shock tower is cast, and it gets bent, the car's still toast, but it likely took a lot more energy to be bent/broken.