By Steven Symes 
Forget carbon fiber and other synthetic composites, BMW will start offering cars with panels made of flax. This is being done in the name of cutting carbon emissions and future recyclability. And no, this isn’t some giant prank being played by the Germans, or at least we don’t think it is.
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BMW issued a splashy press release about how these flax-based composite materials will start to be used in series production models soon. You can see in the photos they have a unique look to them, so we guess this will be the new status symbol as carbon fiber is deemed no longer stylish.
According to the automaker, it has been using parts made of flax and other natural fibers in motorsports for the past several years. Many new car technologies are born out of racing and are refined in those competitive, stressful environments.
One immediate question we have about these materials is whether they could become the target of rodents or other animals. After all, plant-based insulation materials used on car wires has led to rats, mice, etc. chewing through wiring harnesses, leading to big problems and expensive repairs.
We also seem to recall almost a decade ago Ford was bragging about working with Coca-Cola to create plant-based plastics, which it was using in vehicles. Whatever happened to those? We honestly don’t hear anything about that anymore, which really makes us wonder.
Since these materials have been used in motorsports since 2019, starting with Formula E (no shocker there) we assume they’ve been proven to hold up well in the elements, including extreme temperatures, not to mention serious stress from blows, etc.
Expect to see the new natural fiber composites used first on BMW M models first.
Images via BMW