The newly unveiled BMW M Concept Neue Klasse features performance composite components made from a bespoke weave of Bcomp’s ampliTex™ technology. This close collaboration between BMW Group and Bcomp is a testament to the successful industrialisation of natural-fibre composites for exterior aesthetic applications in high-performance production cars, and shows how Bcomp’s materials can become an integral part of a vehicle’s design language.
Swiss sustainable performance materials company Bcomp has collaborated with BMW M in development of the BMW M Concept Neue Klasse recently unveiled at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The BMW M Concept Neue Klasse is the first public unveiling of the car with the components made through the award-winning partnership between Bcomp and BMW M, which was first announced last year. The concept car features extensive use of Bcomp’s ampliTex™ technology for both interior and exterior components, most notably the roof.
The visible fibre composite roof of BMW M Concept Neue Klasse showcases the bespoke weave and colour developed specifically for and together with BMW M. For the exterior, BMW M used ampliTex™ for the roof, front splitter, bonnet air outlet, side skirts, mirror caps, and the rear diffuser. On the interior, ampliTex™ was used for the back of the four newly developed bucket seats as a structural element. Bcomp’s natural fibre is not only used in its pure form, but also, for the first time, in a refined form with M branding in the roof graphic.
From the track to the road: ampliTex™
Offering high stiffness to weight ratio, safer crash behaviour than carbon fibre, exceptional vibration damping, and full radio transparency, ampliTex™ has been used extensively in motorsport. This includes applications in Formula 1, Formula E, Super Formula, GT racing, motorcycle racing, rally, and more.
Unlike many conventional performance automotive composites, ampliTex™, designed and engineered in Switzerland, is woven from flax fibres. This is a renewable base material that does not compete with food crops. Compared to carbon fibre, it reduces cradle-to-gate CO2 emissions by up to 85%.
Additionally, once parts have reached the end of their service life, they can also be disposed via standard waste-to-energy power plants, using an environmentally friendly process to capture energy that can be repurposed, further reducing the net impact on the environment.
Christian Fischer, CEO at Bcomp, concluded: “Natural fibres do not pretend to copy carbon fibre composites, they are distinctive and unique. Supplying our ampliTex™ reinforcement materials for the BMW M Concept Neue Klasse is proof that we have challenged the status quo and conclusively demonstrated the viability of our sustainable composite technologies in both structural and aesthetic high-performance automotive applications. We eagerly anticipate seeing future road-going vehicles featuring our natural fibre composite solutions.”
More information
Read the full BMW Press Release on the BMW M Concept Neue Klasse: Click here
Learn more about the BMW M Concept Neue Klasse: Click here
Full press release: Click here
Photographs / Video © BMW Group
