Faurecia joins German carbon fibre composites cluster

Faurecia announced that it is joining the leading cluster MAI Carbon of the Incorporated Society of Carbon Composites based at the Augsburg (Germany) Innovation Park in order to develop manufacturing processes capable of reaching automotive cycle times for mass production of composite parts.

Carbon fibre is both lighter and stronger than steel or other lightweight materials as aluminium. Composites will contribute significantly toward the automaker’s goal of weight reduction. Using carbon composites will provide weight savings of around 50 percent versus the equivalent part made from steel. Ten kilograms of weight savings reduce CO2 emissions by 1g/km. Weight reduction is also important to increase the autonomy of battery electric vehicle.

Christophe Schmitt, executive vice-president of Faurecia Clean Mobility, said, "We are very proud to join the German Carbon Network with a clear objective to make composite parts for mass production vehicles in the early 2020s. Faurecia has the ambition to become the leading player in sustainable mobility. We are doing this by expanding our innovation ecosystem including academic, governmental and industrial partners as well as start-ups.”

The proximity of German premium OEMs and internationally recognised partners such as the Institute of Textile Engineering Augsburg, the Fraunhofer Institute IGCV, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) or the University of Augsburg is a unique opportunity for Faurecia to take the lead in the mass production of structural and semi-structural composite parts for the automotive industry.

Faurecia is already a member of the FORCE consortium in France which aims to produce low-cost carbon fibre for the automotive industry.