Automotive

Teijin Automotive Technologies of Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA, has begun commercial operation of a 39 000-m² facility for the manufacture of composite parts in the Wujin National Hi-Tech

Novel, sustainable door-pulls made from artificial silk fibre are being used by Mercedes-Benz of Stuttgart, Germany, in its latest concept car, the Vision EQXX.  

Ahlstrom-Munksjö of Helsinki, Finland, has added products for the filtration of fuel-cell intake-air to its FiltEV 

A lightweight, sound-absorbing felt that can be installed in areas of a vehicle's interior with complex geometries – making it a suitable alternative for foam – has been launched by Autoneum of Win

Toray Industries is increasing the prices of its polyamide (PA) 66 yarns and fabrics for automotive airbag applications by around 20%, starting from 1 December 2021.

Two fine-dust filters that can reduce the particulate emissions of a demonstrator van by more than 50% have been developed by German companies Mann+Hummel of Ludwigsburg and Mercedes-Benz of Stuttg

Ahlstrom-Munksjö of Helsinki, Finland, has expanded its FiltEV range⁽¹⁾ of filtration media for use

DuPont Mobility & Materials has opened three global centres of excellence (COEs) to accelerate its development and testing of new products for electric vehicles (EVs).

Surface materials for the multifunctional interiors of electric and autonomous vehicles are being developed and supplied by Continental of Hannover, Germany, which says that the market for these pr

From 2022 onwards, Continental will use polyester (PES) yarns derived from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles in the production of carcasses for its tyres. 

A range of filtration media for use in electric vehicles (EVs) has been launched by Ahlstrom-Munksjö of Helsinki, Finland.

A para-aramid nanofibre (called Kevlar MicroCore) for the production of separators for lithium-ion batteries has been launched by DuPont of Wilmington, Delaware, USA.

Weav3D is to work with Global Alliance Automotive (GAA) AG to promote the use of its economical, high-volume process (also called Weav3D) for the production of composite parts in the automotive ind

A para-aramid nanofibre has been developed as a separator for lithium-ion batteries.

Teijin Ltd of Tokyo, Japan, is to invest approximately €10 million in a line for the compression-moulding of glass fibre-reinforced sheet-moulding compound (GF-SMC) in Czechia.

Kordsa is supplying carbon fibre fabrics to TRB Lightweight Structures for the mass-production of parts of battery enclosures for electric vehicles (EVs). 

Polypropylene (PP) sandwich panels from nonwovens specialist Fynotej of  Mexico City are to be used to produce the boot-floors of two vehicles. 

The partners on a project to develop methods for the production of  hybrid, load-bearing suspension components for Ford's Transit van have been recognised with an award for design at the Compos

Carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) windscreen frames are to be produced for a high-volume vehicle from BMW by Koller Kunststofftechnik GmbH. 

In its quest to use more carbon fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRPs), Nissan is refining compression resin-transfer moulding (C-RTM) methods that enable it to make components from such composites in u

Significant progress is being made by a consortium in the UK, as it works to develop a commercially viable all-composite wheel for electric and niche vehicles, such as driverless cars, last-mile de

McLaren has developed what it claims to be the first part for a Formula One (F1) car to be made from a natural fibre-reinforced plastic.  

Fabrics made from flax and a bio-based resin are to be used to manufacture body panels for what is described by its manufacturer as the world’s first purpose-built, 16-t electric vehicle (EV) desig

An epoxy resin-based prepreg developed by Toray Advanced Composites of Morgan Hill, California, USA, for the production of parts for motorsports applications has passed a number of flame-retardancy

A reinforced thermoplastic boot floor has been developed for Hyundai’s Creta sports utility vehicle (SUV) by honeycomb-core manufacturer EconCore and tier-1 automotive supplier DPA Moldados.

Penso of Coventry, UK, has invested £16.3 million in the production of lightweight carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) bodies for 3.5-t commercial vehicles for the home-delivery sector.

BMW Group has awarded its compatriot SGL Carbon a multi-year contract for the production of a glass fibre-reinforced plastic (GFRP)-based cover plate for the battery enclosures the carmaker will us

A strong, lightweight, all-plastic brake pedal for a mass-production battery-electric sports car has been developed by BOGE Elastmetall GmbH using reinforced thermoplastics from Lanxess.

Vehicle-seating supplier Adient has entered into an agreement to sell its automotive fabrics manufacturing business to Asahi Kasei subsidiary Sage Automotive Interiors for US$175 million.

The world’s first re-usable plastic spin-on oil-filter module for cars has been developed by BASF and Hengst.

A lightweight composite headrest for a child’s car seat that is simple to produce has been developed by a consortium of companies in Germany and Poland.

Gurit has sold its automotive business (Gurit Hungary Kft in Székesfehérvár) to composite-parts manufacturer Carbopress SpA.

A lightweight seatback for a sportscar has been produced from a combination of carbon fibre-reinforced prepreg and wood fibre-reinforced plastic by Hexcel and NaCa Systems.

A company dedicated to the research and development (R&D), testing and sale of composite and multimaterial automotive components is to be established in Wuppertal, Germany, by Teijin.

Volkswagen (VW)’s first innovation hub in North America is to be opened at the University of Tennessee (UT) Research Park in Knoxville, USA.

Carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) backrests have been developed for Guangzhou Automobile Group Co (GAC) Ltd’s ENO.146 electric concept car by the carmaker’s research and development (R&

A substantial contract for the high-volume production of carbon fibre-reinforced and glass fibre-reinforced plastic cover plates for battery enclosures has been awarded to SGL Carbon of Wiesbaden,

In preparation for the production of its fully electric iNEXT car, the BMW Group is investing around €400 million in its largest European production plant in Dingolfing, Germany.  

Glass fibre-reinforced plastic (GFRP) longitudinal leaf springs are being used for the first time by Ford of Dearborn, Michigan, USA.

Ways in which composites could be used to increase the power density, and reduce the size, of the integrated electric drive units (EDUs) for electric vehicles (EVs) are to be investigated by a part

A by-product from the roasting of coffee beans could soon be used in the manufacture of automotive parts such as headlamp housings.

Composite electrodes for structural supercapacitors have been developed by researchers at Texas A&M University of College Station, USA.

Plastic Omnium of Levallois, France, reports that it has won a significant order from a German manufacturer for the development of 35-MPa (350-bar) hydrogen-storage tanks for use in buses.

An automated assembly line for the manufacture of bodies for lightweight commercial vehicles for the home-delivery sector from carbon fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) has been unveiled by Penso of

Multiaxial fabrics from Vectorply are being used to manufacture the pultruded carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) bumper beam for General Motors Co’s 2020 mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.

A lightweight textile made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibres that can both block and absorb sound waves has been developed for use in automotive engine bays by Autoneum of Winterthur, Sw

A simplified front-end part for motor vehicles has been developed by Porsche of Stuttgart, Germany.

Gurit is to close its automotive production site in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, in mid-2020.

A range of flax fibre-reinforced epoxy prepregs for use in motorsport applications has been introduced by Composites Evolution of Chesterfield, UK.