How does BMW apply carbon fiber?

How does BMW apply carbon fiber?

BMW quotes a lot of carbon fiber materials: carbon fiber wheels, center mesh, luggage rack, front lip, side skirts, rear diffuser, outside mirror cover, air conditioning vents, lower center console panel, etc.

BMW applies CFRP (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic) carbon fiber components in the main skeleton of the car to reduce the weight and strengthen the body.

As we all know, carbon fiber is a very expensive material, and the production process is complicated, resulting in insufficient production. According to the relevant statistics, the cost of carbon fiber is $20 per kilogram, compared to the traditional steel material cost less than $1 per kilogram, how to reduce costs and mass production is the biggest problem.

In order to produce carbon fiber, BMW set up a joint venture with SGL Carbon SE in Germany as early as 2009 to produce carbon fiber parts. 2014, the two companies invested an additional $200 million to triple the annual production of carbon fiber. The annual capacity of carbon fiber was increased from 3,000 tons in two production lines to 9,000 tons in six production lines, with the extra capacity being absorbed by the BMW 7 Series, a model with extremely high sales volume.

Due to the strategic importance of the project, BMW made the rare move of securing its influence in the Wiesbaden-based manufacturer by purchasing a 16% stake against the 10% stake purchased by Volkswagen. Susanne Klatten, a member of the Quant family (BMW's majority shareholder), also bought a 27% stake in SGL, so BMW has far more control over this company than its competitors.