Automakers race to lose weight

SANT'AGATA BOLOGNESE, Italy — Beneath the high ceilings of a factory in the wheat fields of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, Lamborghini engineers are building a new supercar. Called the Aventador, it has been described as the closest thing to a stealth fighter jet you'll see on the road. It's also a high-profile symbol of a strategic battle taking shape in the auto industry.

Silhouetted against grey walls, workers in black polo shirts adorned with Lamborghini's gold raging bull logo guide sheets of black material into a vacuum-controlled cutting machine, before pressing and shaping the pieces into huge moulds. These parts will make the chassis of the Aventador, which is one of the first cars to have its entire body built of carbon fiber composites, an alternative to metals prized by plane makers for their lightweight malleability and strength. The materials give designers "freedom to design aggressively," says Lamborghini's Technology Manager Massimiliano Corticelli.

The materials -- plastics reinforced by synthetic fibers -- will also allow the kind of performance so important to Lamborghini drivers: 0-62 miles per hour in 2.9 seconds with a top speed of around 217 miles per hour. But their potential value lies beyond the handful of people who can pay a starting price of 263,000 euros ($355,000) for a car that rolls off the assembly line at just 20 a week.

Partly as a consequence of emissions reduction targets, mass-market auto-makers need to produce lighter cars. For the next few years, auto-makers such as Peugeot, Fiat, Volkswagen and Daimler expect weight reductions to come largely from using aluminum. But composites are 30 percent lighter than aluminum and 50 percent lighter than steel. If car makers can get the price down -- composites currently cost at least 10 times as much as aluminum and 30 times as much as steel, according to Volkswagen -- they hope to be able to use them in the mass-market.

"We have been working on making cars lighter for several years, but the tightening up of regulation for reducing emissions by 2020 makes it necessary in reality to move toward breakthrough solutions," says Louis David, materials expert at French car maker PSA Peugeot Citroen.

There is progress. Peugeot and other carmakers already make some small parts out of composite material but do not yet use the technology for large parts. But BMW, which plans by the end of 2013 to roll out electric cars with entire passenger cabins made from a composite known as carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), is leading the race.

Helped by Germany's richest woman, Susanne Klatten, the luxury auto maker has been building close ties with Europe's only supplier of carbon fiber technology; it consolidated its hold this week with a share purchase.

"So far, there is no carmaker that is banking on carbon fibers quite like BMW," says Reto Hess, who coordinates global car industry analysis for Credit Suisse's private banking arm.

Too pricey Taking composites mass market won't be easy. The European Union wants to cut average carbon dioxide emissions of cars manufactured in the region by 33 percent by 2020 -- to 95 g per km. Most mainstream European automakers say the cost of composites is too high to use them in whole cars any time soon.

Volkswagen's VW brand has the material in a prototype, but Ulrich Hackenberg, head of development of the VW brand, says finished parts cost between 30 and 50 euros per kg. That compares with only 1 euro for steel and 3 euros for aluminum. He thinks a reasonable target for the industry could be to bring this cost down to 15-20 euros.

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Fiat has long been using composite technology -- its Alfa Romeo 8C contains about 90 kg of the stuff -- but like other car makers, it is still exploring what the technology can do on a larger scale. "In recent years mass production has had the opportunity to push materials like high-strength steel that have won the challenge with composites," says Fiat materials expert Rosanna Serra. But "we know these traditional materials cannot support the challenge in the future. They have limits."

Daimler has since April 2010 had a joint venture with Toray Industries of Japan, the world's largest manufacturer of carbon fibers, to build parts for its high-end, convertible coupe SL class. Toray has said branching out further into automotive uses is a top priority. It plans to speed up molding carbon fabrics into car parts to provide a new generation of components for Daimler by 2013.

Cars built from carbon fiber parts will have to meet the same safety criteria as conventional ones; composites can potentially cut a car's mass by half, says PSA's David. But on costs, he is blunt: "Today we believe that composites that are competitive for the automotive industry in terms of cost and production rhythm do not exist," he says. The company is taking "baby steps" in using the materials in vehicles that should be in showrooms by 2014-15, and he expects the technology to be much more widespread by 2018.

Secure supply BMW isn't waiting. It won't disclose its investment, but according to German weekly Der Spiegel it has spent more than a billion euros on developing the technology and its new range of "i" electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Whole cars made of carbon fiber composites will be available from 2013.

Its strategy is based on the view that trendsetting car buffs with deep pockets will develop a taste for electric cars, especially if prodded by government incentives such as exemptions from city-center congestion charges. The company says the i3's bodywork will be 250-350 kg (550-770 pounds) lighter than that of a conventional car of the same size. With a much lighter chassis, it hopes its traditional clientele of drivers could even desire a premium electric vehicle for city driving.

BMW finance chief Friedrich Eichiner says the company is already working to cut costs to a point where they will be level with aluminum. It's a goal that can only be achieved with economies of scale. "Costs are a function of the volumes -- that remains the driver," Eichiner says.

To this end, BMW has already secured fiber production capacity which industry experts say is equivalent to what the entire car industry consumed last year. Since 2011, the company has sourced its carbon fiber reinforced plastics through a joint venture with Europe's only major producer of carbon fibers, German-based SGL Carbon signed in 2009.

To get an idea of the scale, it's worth a glance at SGL's production chain. Based in Wiesbaden, southwest Germany, the company gets precursor fibers, similar to those used in fleece clothing, from a joint venture with Mitsubishi Rayon in Japan. They are shipped for treatment - including baking at temperatures as high as 1,400 Celsius (2,550 Fahrenheit) -- to the United States. Then they go to Germany, for finishing.

SGL says its U.S. plant will eventually be able to churn out 3,000 tonnes of fiber per year. That compares with an estimated 2-3,000 tonnes used in all cars globally last year and about 35,000 tonnes across all industries.

Klatten clincher SGL is already majority-owned by Klatten, who is worth an estimated 8.9 billion euros according to German monthly Manager Magazin. Heiress to the fortune of German industrialist Herbert Quandt, she and her family also have a combined 46.7 percent of BMW.

The car company's pact with SGL was signed a few months after Klatten, who is Germany's richest woman, had emerged as the largest shareholder in SGL, too. It was a strategic move, and one BMW appeared to seal on Friday when it said it had bought a 15.2 percent stake in the carbon fiber producer.

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The carbon-fiber industry suffered a meltdown when demand for expensive defense technology waned after the end of the Cold War, and now only about half a dozen makers globally are capable of producing on an industrial scale. SGL is the only major European player, with main rivals in Japan -- Toray, Teijin and Mitsubishi Chemical's Rayon division - and the United States: Zoltek and Hexcel.

Fiber technology requires high expertise. The slightest tweaks in the process can alter the fibers' molecular structure, potentially compromising the safety of the parts they go into. At a test production site for fibers in Meitingen, Bavaria, SGL measures no fewer than 2,400 parameters every five seconds to monitor the process. "It may be easy to build a production site for carbon fibers but it's certainly extremely complicated to operate one," says CSFB's Hess.

SGL's position in Europe was underlined in a headline-grabbing tussle between Klatten and Volkswagen over the carbon-fiber maker in March. Volkswagen, Europe's biggest carmaker and Lamborghini's owner, acquired an 8 percent stake in SGL, and Klatten responded by saying she was observing VW's actions "with a distance and with vigilance".

Since May she has lifted her holding to around 29 percent, which gives her the right to veto strategic decisions at the supplier. That, combined with BMW's purchase, would bring the BMW camp's holding of the company 

Buying a Car With No Time to Do It

Buying a car can be a time-consuming process. Once you recognize what you need in a vehicle, you also need to make sure that you have researched the possibilities. You will need to see what vehicles are offered, the options available with each vehicle and most importantly the price. This can take hours, if not days.

However, with our busy schedules, many people do not have the time to devote to this process. If you are in need of a new car but are short on time, you still have many options. Your best bet is to start your search online. If you are loyal to a particular brand of car, start there. You will also want to look into the brands that friends and family members have. If someone has a car that you like, look into that particular model.

Your next step is to investigate what the brand has to offer. You can find all of this information on the company website. Once you have narrowed it down to a model, you will want to see what features are offered.

The next step, which is crucial in the process, is to call dealerships. You will know exactly what you want by then. Call them and be specific to see if they have the exact car that you want. Do not waste time going to see other vehicles. You want to stick to the vehicle that you have researched. If a dealership does not offer the exact model you want, move on. Make sure the salesperson you speak with is well aware that you only want one particular vehicle and that you are not test driving anything else.

Make an appointment for a specific time to test drive the car. If the car is not available, do not dawdle, just leave. Prior to going to the dealership you should investigate the price of the car. You will want to look at the value of the car which can be found on a number of websites. You will also want to look at consumer websites to see the average price people have paid. Keep in mind the more features the car has, the more you will pay for it. Once you have these figures and have had a test drive, you are ready. Present your offer to the dealer and do not be afraid to walk away. The key to saving time is being prepared and not wasting time at the dealership figuring out what you want.

Claire Jefferies is writing on behalf of Just Audi VW Lincoln, a dynamic new independent Audi Volkswagen specialist in Lincolnshire. They also offer Audi Lincoln and Lincoln Audi used cars

Who to Call When Locked Out of a Car

Locking yourself out of you car can be a scary experience, especially if you are in a dark, deserted area. Sometimes in this situation, people panic and try to pick the lock on their vehicle. With the complex, modern automobile locks on cars today, this is virtually impossible and you may cause costly damage to your locks in the process. When you are locked out of your car, call a certified emergency locksmith to assist you.

It can be frustrating to realize that you have locked your keys in the car and can't retrieve them. You may be tempted to try the old wire hanger trick to open your lock. Modern automobile locks are so much more complex than they used to be so these old tricks rarely work anymore. In fact, trying to pop the lock without the proper tools and experience can cause damage to your vehicle locks, resulting in costly repairs. While breaking a window may get you into your vehicle, you could get injured from the broken glass. Plus, you will end up having to pay for the window to be replaced.

The best thing to do when you realize that you are locked out of your car and need help is to try not to panic. First of all, find a safe, well-lit area where you can wait for help to arrive. Call a friend or family member who may have access to your spare keys. If you do not have a spare available, you will need to call a certified emergency locksmith who is highly trained and skilled at opening automobile locks.

Unfortunately, there are some unscrupulous individuals who call themselves locksmiths just so they can extort money from you when you are in a vulnerable situation. There are some things you can do to avoid these criminals. First, take some time to find a local locksmith in your area who is associated with a national company or has an actual place of business that you can visit. Many disreputable locksmiths will use fake names, addresses, and phone numbers that all feed into one remote call center. Be very wary of any locksmith who comes to your door without a marked vehicle and uniform. Finally, check with the Associated Locksmiths of America (ALOA) or ask friends and relatives for referrals. Once you find a reputable and reliable locksmith in your area, program the number into your cell phone just in case you need him in an emergency.

If you are locked out and call a locksmith without knowing anything about his company, be sure to ask for a firm price over the phone, especially if they offer a "too good to be true" price. Often these places will tell you the cost to unlock your vehicle will be a few dollars and then when the locksmith arrives, he tells you that price was for the service call only. Demand a firm quote before allowing any locksmith to come to your location.

Locking yourself out of your car can be a hassle but there really is no reason to call the police unless you have a child trapped in the locked vehicle or you feel that your safety is threatened. Do your research now and find a trained and reliable emergency locksmith in your area. Program the number in your phone so that you have it when you need it the most.

John Turner is the general manager of Pop-A-Lock of Greensboro, NC, specializing in comprehensive automotive locksmith services.