BMW (holding a 49% stake) and SGL (holding 51%) have joined forces to create SGL Automotive Carbon Fiber LLC, which will be located in Moses Lake, Washington. The joint venture will build a $100 million "state-of-the-art carbon fiber manufacturing plant" and help create 80 local jobs.

According to SGL ACF LLC, the end result will be carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) "used for BMW Group’s upcoming Megacity Vehicle." They’re referring to what will be the end result of BMW’s Project i, a mode of transport "designed for fully electric, zero-emission driving."

Why build in Moses Lake? Mainly, energy costs in Washington state are highly competitive and there’s access to renewable hydropower [re: it's green as grass]. Other factors included "favorable infrastructure conditions, existing utilities, a skilled labor force and ease of working with the local government."

Robert Koehler, SGL Group’s CEO, talked about the project: "It will be the world’s most cost efficient carbon fiber plant using state-of-the-art technologies. This significant investment further underlines our commitment to the U.S., where we already operate carbon fiber and composite materials plants…We will ensure that carbon fibers play a revolutionary role in lightweight automotive construction."

Friedrich Eichiner of BMW added, "With using CFRP components in our Megacity Vehicle, we take sustainable mobility a step further. By combining the know-how of SGL Group and our expertise in manufacturing CFRP components, we will be able to produce carbon fiber enhanced components in large volumes at competitive costs for the first time. This is particularly relevant for electric-powered vehicles such as the Megacity Vehicle."

With recent BMW trademarks including everything from an i1 and i2 to E8s and E9s, there’s no time like the present to start speculating on what the first majority-CFRP BMW product will be. Being old-school, here’s hoping the Isetta makes a comeback.

By CarScoop

This August, Alfa Romeo will celebrate its centennial at Pebble Beach, where it is a featured marque at the Concours d’Elegance. Rumor has it that the Italians will cap off the festivities by unveiling the 4C, a compact, lightweight sports car concept. Says one insider from parent company Fiat’s headquarters: “The 8C has been a very successful halo car. What we need next is a more affordable follow-up model that spreads the message over a wider customer base.”

The 4C, interpreted above by our spy illustrator, will do without high-end materials like carbon fiber or a Ferrari-built engine. Instead, it’s expected to feature a highly tuned, 250-hp four-cylinder, possibly mated to a rear transaxle as in the 8C. Production will probably be limited to 5000 (rather than 500) units. The roadster may be followed by a coupe (or vice versa), and prices are expected to start at about $70,000 (€50,000).

For America’s Alfisti, though, the excitement this August, and the 4C, may be short-lived. One would be hard-pressed to call the liaison between Alfa/Lancia and Chrysler a marriage made in heaven, and the crudely badge-engineered Chrysler (Lancia) Delta on display at the Detroit show was hardly a hopeful sign. As far as the Alfa Romeo brand goes, we’re still waiting for a final decision on whether it will return to North America; in January, Fiat chairman Sergio Marchionne said that it will be a year before a decision is made.

For Alfa, which is in a severe sales slump, much rides on the success of the Giulietta, the 147 replacement that’s set to debut at the Geneva show in March and go on sale shortly thereafter. A slightly longer and wider version of its platform will be used for the Alfa 159 successor, which revives the Giulia nameplate and is due in 2011. An Alfa crossover is planned for the following year.

Whether or not Americans see those Alfas, their compact/mid-size platform will come to the States, underpinning a host of Chrysler products: PT Cruiser and Sebring replacements; new versions of the Dodge Caliber, Avenger, and Nitro; the Jeep Patriot and Compass; and a still-nameless Chrysler crossover. The cross-pollination works both ways. Both Alfa Romeo and Lancia stand a good chance of obtaining new rear-wheel-drive flagship models based on the next Chrysler 300C and built in North America.

By AutoReader

Porsche announced today that it will display the Porsche Type 64 - the ancestor of all of the company’s models - in US for the first time. The Porsche Type 64 will be displayed between 21 March and 20 June 2010 at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia (USA). This event will also represent the first time the Porsche Type 64 will leave its home country, Germany.

The Porsche Type 64 was built in 1938/39 under the supervision of Ferdinand Porsche and has all the design cues of all the cars the company has ever made. The Porsche Type 64 was developed for the Berlin-Rome long-distance race, but unfortunately, it never get the chance to be at the starting line.

By ZerCustoms