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EvoX

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A combination of materials is best. That's why the hood usually gets the CF treatment while the body panels remain aluminum or light weight/high strength steel. It's less complicated for safety and cost reasons.
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Levi

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A combination of materials is best. That's why the hood usually gets the CF treatment while the body panels remain aluminum or light weight/high strength steel. It's less complicated for safety and cost reasons.
That is why the NSX is such going to be such a great car, using a mix of CF, aluminium and high strenght steels, all implemented in the right areas according to their qualities.
 

From a Dig

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Interesting topic.

Anyone know if Toyota has some kind of carbon fiber production plans of its own other than their relationship with BMW? Is the company going to just rely on BMW for carbon fiber permanently? Seems like lots of companies (Audi, Ford come to mind) have started thinking about long term CF production by entering joint ventures with CF manufacturers, chemical/material manufacturers, etc.
 

supraninja

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Interesting topic.

Anyone know if Toyota has some kind of carbon fiber production plans of its own other than their relationship with BMW? Is the company going to just rely on BMW for carbon fiber permanently? Seems like lots of companies (Audi, Ford come to mind) have started thinking about long term CF production by entering joint ventures with CF manufacturers, chemical/material manufacturers, etc.
They are building the Mirai at the old LFA plant.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/2016-toyota-mirai-built-former-lexus-lfa-plant/

With its screaming V10 engine and carbon-fiber bodywork, the Lexus LFA was likely the most advanced production car Toyota had ever built when it launched in 2010.

Now, the factory that built that limited-edition supercar will be used for another high-tech model: the 2016 Toyota Mirai fuel-cell car. The press release practically writes itself.

In an interview with Automotive News (subscription required) Toyota sales executive Masamoto Maekawa revealed that the Motomachi, Japan, plant will be converted to Mirai production, which may not be too different from building a supercar.

Maekawa expects just 700 units of the hydrogen Mirai to roll off the assembly line in its first year of production. In comparison, the entire production run of the LFA was just 500 units, built over one year.

Like a supercar, there will reportedly be more hand assembly involved in building the Mirai, which is why Toyota chose the Motomachi plant and plans to keep production limited.

The company is also unsure of demand for the car, given the current lack of hydrogen fueling stations. It doesn’t want to build more cars than it can sell.

The Motomachi plant was left without a purpose after the LFA’s production run ended. Toyota had previously considered using it to make carbon-fiber parts for other models, and also built a limited run of carbon-fiber bicycles there.

Now though, Motomachi will be building another hand-assembled, low-volume, high-tech car. It may be a four-door sedan with just 153 horsepower, but in many ways it’s just as exotic as the dearly departed LFA.
Seems like the perfect set up for the Supra to be built there also...
 

__WRC__

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Interesting topic.

Anyone know if Toyota has some kind of carbon fiber production plans of its own other than their relationship with BMW? Is the company going to just rely on BMW for carbon fiber permanently? Seems like lots of companies (Audi, Ford come to mind) have started thinking about long term CF production by entering joint ventures with CF manufacturers, chemical/material manufacturers, etc.
We're seeing more and more companies starting to invest in CF tech for the future. Ford just announced a joint venture Dow Chemical and US Department of Energy to research and develop carbon fiber technologies. I think the companys not investing in the CF area are going to be in some trouble down the line when it becomes a major component in cars.
 

gymratter

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i hope they just dont use fiberglass like on the Corvette.
 

Wally World

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Never thought of that damn that's scary. Say you hit the back of someone's car at high speed and then a few seconds later a car hits you at high speed from behind. The front will have taken two impacts, the second one after the CF is already damaged and useless. :confused1:
Same goes for any material really... which will already have been weakened by the first impact, thereby reducing its effectiveness for an immediate second impact. In that case you're just plain unlucky. Don't think cars' safety mechanisms are designed to take multiple successive crashes like that anway.
 

bballr35

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Just don't drive like a tool and problem solved. The benefits of CF vastly outweigh the downsides of extra cost and repairs. This is a sports car afterall.
 
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TorqueRules

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The i8 has dent resistant plastic skin which is reinforced by CF. The CF isn't taking the initial impact, of course it shouldn't take much for the CF to take a beating and repair costs to escalate.
 

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The i8 has dent resistant plastic skin which is reinforced by CF. The CF isn't taking the initial impact, of course it shouldn't take much for the CF to take a beating and repair costs to escalate.
We're talking about crashes though, not runaway supermarket cart situations. Interesting that the i8 has plastic shell. Any weight/performance reasons for it? Or just for dent-resistant reasons..
 
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TorqueRules

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Here's a BMW video on the i3's external shell.



Found here: http://insideevs.com/vide-bmw-discusses-the-benefits-of-the-i3s-thermoplastic-shell/

Rust free? Check.

Light? Yes.

Resistant to dents? Check.

Easy to paint? Yep.

Customizable paint choices? Why not.

Those are just a few of the benefits of the BMW i3’s thermoplastic exterior shell. Unlike steel, the thermoplastic is produced in a highly sustainable way, says BMW.

But we’re most intrigued by the promise of a rust-free exterior and custom color combinations. Not sure is meant by custom colors? Check out the video
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and you’ll soon find out.
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