BMW is racing against time to become the world’s first mass producer of carbon fibre parts used for cars. The company formed a joint venture last year with the SGL Group of Germany to produce carbon fibre parts for small cars. It is understood the all-electric i3 which begins production in 2013, will be first to benefit from these hard plastics.
But BMW is not the only one going for the “first to cross the line” crown. Daimler, the producer of Mercedes-Benz cars, is also vying for that position. It formed a partnership with Toray Industries for the same purpose. Toray is the world’s biggest manufacturer of carbon fibre.
Why is this particular material so important you might wonder. Well, carbon-reinforced plastic is a very light material, yet at the same time it is very strong indeed. So instead of using steel, automakers can use it for certain parts. The current M3 for example, can be ordered with a carbon fibre roof, which shaves off significant weight, improves performance and fuel consumption.
So far cost has been the major inhibitor towards a more general adoption of carbon fibre, but BMW says it has found ways of making it much more cost-effective.
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