Tras Ltd., a Japanese automotive innovation firm, has revealed a natural fiber composite body for the Toyota Hilux, designed to compete in the upcoming Asia Cross Country Rally in Thailand, scheduled for August 8 16. The rally-ready Hilux stands out for its sustainable body panels made with flax fibers, delivering a unique natural aesthetic and motorsport-grade performance.

The prepreg materials used in the body were supplied by SGL Carbon, with production taking place at the company s Willich site in Germany. These materials incorporate ampliTex flax fiber fabric produced by Swiss cleantech pioneer Bcomp, SGL s long-standing partner in sustainable composites.

A major challenge was the comparatively high moisture absorption of flax fibers, said Dr. Thomas Meinhardt, Team Lead Technical Marketing Prepregs at SGL Carbon. We developed a special fast-curing, transparent resin system that offers mechanical strength and durability, even in humid racing environments.

Tras Ltd. took on the component fabrication and vehicle integration, bringing its expertise in sustainable car body production.

This natural body gives us a lightweight, sustainable component that performs well under high humidity and looks great, added Masanao Nitta, CEO of Tras Ltd.

The Sustainability Edge of Flax Fiber Composites

Compared to conventional carbon fiber, Bcomp s flax fiber technologies reduce CO emissions by up to 85% over the product lifecycle. Beyond their eco-credentials, flax composites offer outstanding vibration damping and crash performance, key for motorsport. When reinforced with powerRibs technology, the stiffness-to-weight ratio rivals that of traditional carbon fiber.

The success of this collaboration has already sparked interest from Toyota Customizing & Development (TCD), along with its TRD and MODELLISTA brands, indicating the potential for natural fiber adoption in future production and custom models.

Source: www.sglcarbon.com