Rheocast AZ91 magnesium alloy was evaluated in terms of microstructure and corrosion resistance. Rheocasting leads to a globular microstructure of α-Mg spheres separated by an interconnected β-Mg 17 Al 12 (β-phase) network. Findings revealed that early stages of corrosion were located at the center of α-Mg globules and more importantly at α-Mg/β-phase interfaces due to galvanic coupling as predicted from surface potential maps. Electrochemical, hydrogen evolution and weight loss measurements demonstrated the superior corrosion resistance of the rheocast alloy. This was attributed to an improved barrier effect of the β-Mg 17 Al 12 phase and, possibly, to a smaller area fraction of Al-(Mn,Fe) inclusions. For long immersion times, only small attacked areas were observed which corresponded to randomly corroded α-Mg globules.The automotive industry is developing new processing techniques for magnesium alloys which are able to minimize the disadvantages of conventional processing routes such as high porosity, compositional segregation and poor mechanical properties. 1 Semisolid metal (SSM) processing has been shown to be an outstanding manufacturing technique to produce high performance and reliable materials at low cost. 2,3 SSM processing is also able to produce near-net shape components with enhanced corrosion and mechanical properties. 4 The basic feature of SSM processing is the formation of a thixotropic suspension of solid spheres immersed in a liquid matrix. To that end, the material is heated up to the biphasic solid-liquid region under continuous agitation. 2,5,6 The rheological properties of the mixture allow the filling of the molds under laminar flow conditions which facilitates the use of geometrically complex molds. In addition, the porosity of the work piece is considerably reduced since gas entrapment is restricted and the shrinkage during solidification from the biphasic region is lower compared to direct solidification from the liquid state. 7 The resultant material exhibits high dimensional stability, improved surface quality and better mechanical properties derived from the uniform and defect-free globular microstructure obtained during the stirring process. 5 Additionally, the use of SSM processing results in an improvement of the energy efficiency derived from the lower temperatures used during the manufacturing process and a higher yield due to lower oxidation rates of the alloy. 8 The growing need to decrease vehicle weight has situated Mg-Al alloys as excellent candidates for substitution of traditional structural materials due to their low density, good damping capacity, high specific strength, machinability and high thermal conductivity. 9-11 Mg-Al alloys suit perfectly the SSM processing technology since they have a wide solidification range which facilitates holding the mixture in the semisolid state. Additionally, the reduced temperatures and laminar filling used in SSM processing prevent the incorporation of oxides into the mold that are usually formed due to the high reactivity of Mg. 1...