BMW’s latest flagship may be the most complex car the company has ever built, but it takes just half the time to assemble than ‘old-fashioned’ cars. How?
The short answer is because of the LifeDrive concept BMW developed for its new i sub-brand of cars. The architecture of the i8 is split into two parts: a passenger cell made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (Life) and an aluminum chassis that comprises the car’s complex mechanical parts (Drive). Built separately and then assembled during the last stages of production, the two modules also help makes the production process considerably less expensive, which perhaps explains why the new coupé will go on sale for a relatively modest $135,700.
The plug-in hybrid BMW i8′s gestation period begins much earlier than that, however. While final assembly happens on BMW’s wind-powered production line at its Leipzig plant, the defining material component C carbon fiber C enters existence at a hydroelectric-powered facility in Moses Lake, Washington.
More http://ecomento.com/2014/05/01/bmw-i8-recipe-for-a-thoroughly-modern-supercar/
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