* Aluminium near 3-year lows on auto industry concerns * Most metals drift lower, lower stock markets eyed * Tin extends fall, down 7.9 percent (Updates prices to mid-session, adds comment) By Anna Stablum LONDON, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Aluminium fell close to 3-year lows after a hefty rise in warehouse inventories set against the global auto industry's poor outlook. Stock increases also pushed benchmark contract copper lower and tin fell another 7.9 percent. "Aluminium is an energy play and energy is coming down and there is a massive oversupply looming," analyst Marc Elliott at investment bank Fairfax in London said. London Metal Exchange aluminium fell 2 percent or $38 to $1,880 by mid-session, after touching a low of $1,874. On Tuesday, it touched a three-year low of $1,870. Copper for delivery in three months fell $140 or 3.7 percent to $3,610. Last week the metal, used in the power and construction industries, hit $3,520 -- its weakest since September 2005. Support for copper was seen at $3,590, said analyst Edward Meir at MF Global in a research note. "We're watching to see if we get two days of closes below this level. If we do, the $3,500 mark is the next critical stop, as there is nothing below that until $3,000," he said. The copper contango -- with nearby contracts trading at a discount to those further forward -- widened to $52.13, the highest level since Dec. 18, as the market is well supplied with stocks rising 1,475 tonnes to 280,050. Three-months copper prices could average at $4,307 a tonne next year, a Reuters survey showed. Copper producer Zambia said copper output rose by 10.7 percent to 421,519 in January to September this year versus 380,907 tonnes in same period of 2007. TROUBLED CAR MAKERS The news flow was bearish, with U.S. automakers appealing to government for aid, while U.S. producer prices dropped and a housing sentiment index slumped to its lowest since the measure was started in 1985. The economic crisis has hit car makers hard, threatening the survival of Detroit's Big Three; General Motors Corp, Ford Motor Co and Chrysler LLC. LME stocks of aluminium, widely used in the transport, construction and packaging industries, rose a hefty 81,975 tonnes to 1.7 million -- the highest since January 1995. Detroit saw the largest inflow of stocks -- up 55,550 tonnes. European shares extended falls led by banks and miners, as worries about a deep recession continued. "There is just bad news out there," Fairfax's Elliott said. Among miners, Anglo American, Rio Tinto, Vedanta Resources and Xstrata fell 4 to 9 percent. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was down 2.44 percent at 824.89 points. Zinc, mainly used to galvanise steel, fell to a low of $1,175, down 4.5 percent, before trading at $1,178, down $51. In the previous session, zinc rose 6.5 percent as investors covered their short positions and the world's largest producer, Nyrstar, decided to cut back production. Tin was at $12,150/12,200 after touching a low of $12,000, compared with Tuesday's last quote of $13,025/13,075. Lead shed 3.5 percent to $1,155 a tonne, while nickel has fallen around 80 percent to $10,350 a tonne from record highs around $52,000 in 2006. . Metal Prices at 1323 GMT Metal Last Change Percent Move End 2007 Ytd Percent move LME Cu 3598.00 -152.00 -4.05 6670.00 -46.06 SHFE Cu* 29050.00 560.00 +1.97 56880.00 -48.93 LME Alum 1875.00 -43.00 -2.24 2403.00 -21.97 SHFE Alu* 13840.00 90.00 +0.65 18180.00 -23.87 COMEX Cu** 162.50 -3.00 -1.81 303.05 -46.38 LME Zinc 1173.00 -56.00 -4.56 2370.00 -50.51 SHFE Zinc* 9715.00 165.00 +1.73 18950.00 -48.73 LME Nick 10350.00 -400.00 -3.72 26350.00 -60.72 LME Lead 1242.00 -58.00 -4.46 2550.00 -51.29 LME Tin 11950.00 -1075.00 -8.25 16400.00 -27.13 ** 1st contract month for COMEX copper * 3rd contract month for SHFE AL, CU and ZN SHFE ZN began trading on 26/3/07 (Additional reporting by Nick Trevethan in Singapore, editing by William Hardy)

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