BMW leaks first-gen X5 made of carbon fiber!

gaifaun · 07-06-2010, 06:59 PM

BMW leaks first-gen X5 made of carbon fiber!

* 06.07.2010

BMW has been making some headlines over the past few months with its commitment to carbon fiber construction, opening a joint-venture production facility in Washington State and teasing the upcoming Megacity EV as the first mass-produced carbon fiber vehicle. But there's always a back story to the headlines.

As you might have guessed, BMW has been toying around with the lightweight construction material for some time, seeing just how far it could push the envelop and what practical applications it could have. In this case, it turns out that, back around 2003, the Bavarian automaker re-constructed a first-gen X5 sport-ute with a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) unibody. Every panel on the X5 was replaced with CFRP, save the doors which retained their conventional steel construction. The result was a weight savings of 440 pounds, without – according to BMW – sacrificing structural rigidity and crash-worthiness.

Of course the carbon X5 was never put into production, but it reportedly underwent some 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles) of testing, and the knowledge gleaned will surely find its way into BMW's production vehicles in the future.

[Source: BMW Blog]

koreez88 · 07-06-2010, 07:20 PM

...Wow...

GTM_Challenge · 07-06-2010, 07:28 PM

Wow, thats pretty damn cool. wouldnt want to see the price tag though....

bavarian19 · 07-06-2010, 08:42 PM

gaifaun · 07-06-2010, 09:39 PM

makes me wonder why they didn't do it in their E46 M3 or something that deserves the CF instead of an SAV lol.

kyleb350 · 07-06-2010, 11:14 PM

Yeah, must have been crazy expensive since none of this made it to the X5M :-\

ibeclueless · 07-07-2010, 06:51 AM

oh wow, nice

mtla4 · 07-09-2010, 09:35 PM

looks like a die cast model especially the picture from the back

Silver-Bolt · 07-09-2010, 10:07 PM

Crash repair would prevent a volume car like that from being produced. A low volume Ferrari or Lambo could be sent back to the factory for repair if needed. Your corner bodt shop is not equipted to handle carbon momcoque repair. No doubt the day it coming for lighter and stronger materials. Without factory support it will never happen.

jibaholic101 · 07-09-2010, 11:02 PM

jeez, makes me wonder what else they have in hiding. . .

ChristianM · 07-09-2010, 11:27 PM

^ Seriously, probably alot of stuff we'll never get to see.

07-06-2010, 06:59 PM	#1
gaifaun Major 217 Rep 1,134 Posts Drives: E90 335i LCI Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Greater Vancouver iTrader: (14) Garage List 2010 E90 335i LCI [10.00]	BMW leaks first-gen X5 made of carbon fiber! BMW leaks first-gen X5 made of carbon fiber! * 06.07.2010 BMW has been making some headlines over the past few months with its commitment to carbon fiber construction, opening a joint-venture production facility in Washington State and teasing the upcoming Megacity EV as the first mass-produced carbon fiber vehicle. But there's always a back story to the headlines. As you might have guessed, BMW has been toying around with the lightweight construction material for some time, seeing just how far it could push the envelop and what practical applications it could have. In this case, it turns out that, back around 2003, the Bavarian automaker re-constructed a first-gen X5 sport-ute with a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) unibody. Every panel on the X5 was replaced with CFRP, save the doors which retained their conventional steel construction. The result was a weight savings of 440 pounds, without – according to BMW – sacrificing structural rigidity and crash-worthiness. Of course the carbon X5 was never put into production, but it reportedly underwent some 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles) of testing, and the knowledge gleaned will surely find its way into BMW's production vehicles in the future. [Source: BMW Blog] __________________ I can help with Coding in Vancouver. PM me Last edited by gaifaun; 07-06-2010 at 07:04 PM..
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07-06-2010, 07:20 PM	#2
koreez88 Всем привет ;) 149 Rep 3,358 Posts Drives: Tesla Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: USA iTrader: (12)	...Wow...
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07-06-2010, 07:28 PM	#3
GTM_Challenge 279 Rep 2,946 Posts Drives: E46 M3, E90 M3 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Nashville iTrader: (7)	Wow, thats pretty damn cool. wouldnt want to see the price tag though....
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07-06-2010, 08:42 PM	#4
bavarian19 General 547 Rep 18,849 Posts Drives: Car Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: VA iTrader: (23)
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07-06-2010, 09:39 PM	#5
gaifaun Major 217 Rep 1,134 Posts Drives: E90 335i LCI Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Greater Vancouver iTrader: (14) Garage List 2010 E90 335i LCI [10.00]	makes me wonder why they didn't do it in their E46 M3 or something that deserves the CF instead of an SAV lol. __________________ I can help with Coding in Vancouver. PM me
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07-06-2010, 11:14 PM	#6
kyleb350 Brigadier General 429 Rep 4,709 Posts Drives: '21 X3MC Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Milwaukee iTrader: (6)	Yeah, must have been crazy expensive since none of this made it to the X5M :-\
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07-07-2010, 06:51 AM	#7
ibeclueless What 142 Rep 9,325 Posts Drives: E92 328xi Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Quincy, MA iTrader: (1)	oh wow, nice __________________ E92 328xi Space Gray Aero Lip \| M3 Side Skirts \| CF Performance Spoiler \| ACS Roof \| Gloss Black Grilles \| LUX H8 Angels \| BMW Performance Exhaust My E92 Photos
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07-09-2010, 10:07 PM	#9
Silver-Bolt Captain 28 Rep 805 Posts Drives: 2011 Z4 35is Melbourne Red Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Portland, OR iTrader: (0) Garage List 2011 Z4 35is [9.00]	Crash repair would prevent a volume car like that from being produced. A low volume Ferrari or Lambo could be sent back to the factory for repair if needed. Your corner bodt shop is not equipted to handle carbon momcoque repair. No doubt the day it coming for lighter and stronger materials. Without factory support it will never happen.
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07-09-2010, 11:02 PM	#10
jibaholic101 Brigadier General 170 Rep 3,496 Posts Drives: women wild Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Charleston, SC iTrader: (0)	jeez, makes me wonder what else they have in hiding. . . __________________ some italian, german, and japanese ones; and on order more of the same
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07-09-2010, 11:27 PM	#11
ChristianM Enlisted Member 2 Rep 31 Posts Drives: TTC Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Ontario, GTA iTrader: (0)	^ Seriously, probably alot of stuff we'll never get to see.
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