Last week, Lamborghini Automobili S.p.A. officially unveiled the “Automobili Lamborghini Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory” (ACSL) at an event at the University of Washington. Partnered with the University of Washington and aerospace company, Boeing, this move really confirms Lamborghini’s commitment to the future of carbon fiber. With the help of Lamborghini, we could hopefully see carbon fiber go from a trend in sports cars to being mass produced in everyday cars. There have even been reports of several Japanese automakers investing in low-cost carbon fiber.

Lamborghini has been collaborating since 2001 with ACSL head professor, Paolo Feraboli, on various research projects with carbon fiber. Car manufacturers are very aware of the many benefits that carbon fiber offers and Lamborghini is no different. Carbon fiber has been replacing steel on various parts of a car since carbon fiber’s density is much lower than steel, which in turn lowers the weight of the car and enhances the car performance by increasing the power-to-weight ratio.

“Lamborghini remains committed to investing in its future, and advancing carbon fiber composite technologies is the key to achieving many our goals,” said Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. “As Lamborghini has long been influenced by aerospace technology, the University of Washington’s collaboration with The Boeing Company and the Federal Aviation Administration is the complementary fit to furthering our research and development programs that will continue to set the benchmark in carbon fiber technology.”

[Sources: Lamborghini, Motor Authority]