BMW's 7 Series uses CFRP lightweighting to improve performance

May 29, 2018 | Case Study

BMW is far and away the largest user of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) in the automotive industry and a major early adopter of CFRP. It launched the first CFRP-framed production vehicle, the i3, in 2013 and took a major stake in CF manufacturer SGL's Moses Lake production facility, and it pioneered the use of automated production of CFRP composites in its Leipzig facility. However, BMW has cooled somewhat on CFRP over the past few years: There have been no new fully CFRP-framed models since 2013, and BMW is now slowly divesting its stake in SGL. Still, BMW remains committed to the use of CFRP in its vehicles, and in its flagship 7 Series, CFRP plays a supporting role to aluminum and high-strength steel.