On the success of a first-year sell-out of the i8 and high demand for the i3, BMW is making an additional investment into its joint venture with Moses Lake, Wash.-based SGL Group, with the intention of introducing carbon fiber into models beyond the i and M collections.
Autoblog reports the automaker will inject $200 million into SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers — where the carbon fiber for both models of the i brand is produced — which will be used to boost production to 9,000 tons annually (from 3,000 tons currently) with the addition of four production lines to the two already in place, and bring 120 more employees for a total of 200. The expansion will make the Moses Lake facility the largest carbon fiber plant in the world when complete in early 2015.
As for where all of the carbon fiber will end up, BMW executive Dr. Klaus Draeger says the automaker will distribute the material to the rest of its overall lineup, a move that has always been in the cards according to BMW i communications manager Manuel Sattig:
Every idea, every technology, every revolution or new material that we came up with for BMW i eventually had to enable the rest of the BMW Group. Which means, yes, there is a plan to bring carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) to the rest of our fleet.
from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA
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