In a move intended to keep Volkswagen from advancing on the lightweight materials front, BMW AG board member Susanne Klatten has bought a blocking stake in SGL Group, the company BMW partnered with to develop carbon-fiber for mainstream use. As a member of the Quandt family, currently BMW’s single largest shareholder with a 46-percent stake in the company, Klatten was able to secure 27.3 percent of SGL through her investment group, Skion. In order to further thwart VW, which purchased 8.18 percent of SGL this past February, Klatten is expected to raise her stake to 29 percent within the next 12 months, according to Automotive News.
Although Skion has said it has no plans to take over SGL completely, Klatten has been watching VW’s actions and had announced in the past that she could easily acquire a blocking minority stake in the company. Having now done that, Skion can better influence the appointment of SGL’s top executives and directors. While SGL has said that it does not rule out collaboration with other automakers, with a BMW board member calling many of the shots, BMW could eventually become the company’s favored — or even exclusive — partner.
Last year, joined forces with SGL in order to build a carbon-fiber factory in Washington State. BMW enlisted the help of the carbon experts to assist in the production of the advanced composite material, which it will need in massive quantities in order to build its upcoming i3 electric city car. That car is expected to feature a carbon-fiber reinforced plastic body over an aluminum chassis — an industry first, and likely a taste of things to come in the future. Mass production of carbon-fiber could be the next big thing, which is probably why VW initially wanted a piece of SGL — and why BMW is fighting so hard to keep it.
As a lightweight, high-strength material, carbon-fiber has been used extensively by VW on many Lamborghini models. The Aventador utilizes a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis — an innovation reserved for race cars in past years — while the upcoming Sesto Elemento (meaning sixth element in Italian) is so named because it uses carbon, the sixth element on the periodic table, so heavily. If VW could control one of the leading manufacturers of carbon-fiber, it could likely reduce its production costs by a significant margin. Seeing as how BMW has blocked its fellow German automaker from such a move, it looks like VW will have to wait for its chance to buy into a carbon-fiber company.
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