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      02-23-2012, 07:46 PM   #50
mkoesel
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Drives: No BMW for now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Taipei-TT View Post
Don't you think BMW has considered such an obvious point in their studies of using the material? They are not building cars in a vacuum and consider the marketability of the product as an essential characteristic that would make it a viable material for car construction.
Well of course, but since we don't yet know what their strategy is, it is perfectly valid to discuss and to speculate. Of course it is important to keep facts in mind as well, and it is great that Judah is contributing his knowledge in that regard.

Quote:
I'm sure they realize these cars will get damage, and few people would buy a 7 series if even a minor dent would cost the thousands of dollars it would cost today to replace a carbon fiber panel.
Actually, I doubt that the cost concerns of this nature will have much impact on the consumers purchasing habits since it is the insurance companies who deal with financial side of things. For this reason, it is unlikely BMW will even address any challenges they foresee with repairs in a consumer targeted literature. As with just about every other advance in technology, their marketing team is tasked with bestowing the virtues, while leaving the drawbacks out of the discussion. Of course, speaking hypothetically, in the long run the consumer may end up paying in the form of higher premiums or what have you. But by the time they realize this the ship will have already sailed so to speak.

I think that the move of CFRP into mainstream automobiles is fantastic. But, the drawbacks, whatever those might be, are certainly worthy of discussion.
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