MENU
SEARCHThe renewable fiber, which lowers emissions, has been tested in race cars.
The material was developed by a Swiss company that BMW owns a stake in.
BMW
BMW says it’s developed a renewable vehicle material derived from flax in efforts to make its production more sustainable.
The fiber, created in collaboration with Swiss clean-technology company Bcomp, has been under development for several years, said BMW, which owns a stake in the partner through its venture capital arm.
The German automaker said the lightweight material, along with supporting even “stringent” roof structure requirements, will help it cut harmful emissions. Replacing carbon-fiber material with it for roofs of upcoming model years will bring about a 40% drop in production emissions, it said.
BMW said the technology is especially suitable for visible interior and exterior components. It’s already incorporated the material in its race cars to replace carbon-fiber plastic.
“Natural fiber is an innovation that perfectly exemplifies BMW M’s claim ‘Born on the racetrack. Made for the streets,’” said Franciscus van Meel, CEO of the BMW M subsidiary that makes high-performance luxury cars.
DEALERSHIP APPLICATION: How to Drive Sustainability
GM says it sells the cheapest electric vehicle in the U.S. market. It explains how it made improvements to the entry-level EV while keeping its price down.
Read More →
More Americans are open to made-in-China than one might think, especially the youngest, though general awareness here of its growing brands is limited.
Read More →
The overall cars segment was about flat last week, similar to the rest of the wholesale market.
Read More →
Study finds that adopters are true believers and that their satisfaction with the vehicles is growing, including for public charger experience, despite pullback of federal incentives.
Read More →
Electric-vehicle inventory dropped in December, according to S&P Global, but the hybrid market saw about a 19% year-over-year increase in supply despite being down from November.
Read More →
Subaru addition to its sole U.S. plant mirrors the automotive industry’s emphasis on the gas-alternative powertrain after recent setbacks for pure EVs.
Read More →
The year starts with declined expectations for economic conditions and plans to make big purchases. Used cars, though, are among the top big-ticket categories under consideration.
Read More →
The Honda Civic is named the most reliable new car for the money at $27,768 with a predicted 13½ year life span, breaking down to $2,058 annually, or less than half the industry average.
Read More →
A major vehicle research group points out less expensive models that earned high marks for protection, saying the cost is well worth the safety.
Read More →
Could it be an early spring when it comes to used-vehicle sales? Black Book analysts think so based on recent weeks' auction activity.
Read More →
