BMW M cars are going green and the new plant material looks just like carbon fiber

BMW M cars are ditching traditional carbon fiber for a greener alternative.

The company is replacing carbon parts with a plant-based material that looks nearly identical.

These new composites are made from flax fibers, developed with Swiss firm Bcomp.

After years of testing, they’re now ready for mass production.

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Flax composites were first tested in 2019

The material has already proven itself on the racetrack.

The BMW M4 GT4 will race at the Nürburgring 24 Hours using body panels made with flax-based fiber.

BMW says these natural-fiber composites will first appear on visible trim parts, like roofs, before expanding to more components.

Compared to carbon fiber, they cut CO₂ emissions in production by up to 40 percent.

BMW first tested flax composites in 2019, starting with their Formula E race cars.

Since then, they’ve expanded testing in the M4 GT4 and DTM racing series. Now, the material is ready for road cars.

The race-proven parts include dashboards, door panels, spoilers, and more.

The new material comes from renewable flax plants grown in Europe.

Bcomp’s special tech, which is called ampliTex™ and powerRibs™, gives the fibers strength and a woven look similar to carbon fiber.

That makes it ideal for both performance and aesthetics.

Performance and sustainability going hand in hand

It’s undeniable that carbon fiber cars look really good.

Just look at this Rolls-Royce Spectre wrapped in forged carbon fiber, or Shaq’s carbon fiber Cybertruck that received praise from Elon Musk himself.

Unfortunately, carbon fiber is inherently unsustainable, due to the energy-intensive nature of the manufacturing process.

BMW says this switch is part of its plan to lower emissions at the manufacturing level.

These parts don’t affect tailpipe emissions, but they do reduce the carbon footprint of producing each car.

And unlike carbon fiber, flax is biodegradable and less energy-intensive to process.

BMW’s venture capital arm, BMW i Ventures, owns a stake in Bcomp.

This investment supports faster development of these sustainable materials, and also helps lock in a stable supply chain for future models.

Soon, you’ll see these flax composite fibers in regular BMW M cars.

Roofs, interior trims, and possibly more will make the jump from race track to public roads.

The performance stays the same, but the environmental impact drops significantly.

Given that carbon fiber may potentially be classified as hazardous material and banned in European cars, this is probably a good idea.

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