The recent trend in vehicle design is aimed at improving crash safety and environmental-friendliness. For the former, energy absorbing members have to absorb sufficient collision energy, whereas for the latter, the vehicle structure must be lightweight in order to improve fuel efficiency and reduce tail gas emission. Therefore, the weight of the vehicle must be minimized while ensuring crash safety. In this study, composite structural members were manufactured using aluminum and carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) which are representative lightweight materials. The disadvantages of aluminum and CFRP members were considered to be mutually complimentary while the advantages of each member were combined to exhibit collapse characteristics of effective structural members. Quasi-static and impact axial collapse tests were carried out for composite structural members, which comprised an aluminum member externally reinforced by stacking CFRP. In particular, among the design variables of the anisotropic CFRP, axial collapse characteristics have been examined according to the changes of orientation angle. The compound structural member demonstrated stable collapse mode by complimenting the disadvantages of brittle fracturing of the CFRP member, due to the ductile nature of the inner aluminum member. The collapse mode of the composite structural member was determined by CFRP orientation angle of the member, which affected the member's energy absorption capability. The compound member's advantageous characteristics in terms of energy absorption increased with increasing CFRP orientation angle. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.