Cars Going Green...on the Outside

Fibrous plants are helping cars go green on the outside

Japan Times - September 13, 2006
By KAHO SHIMIZU

You might think bamboo, corn and kenaf -- a plant similar to jute -- would make poor materials for building modern cars, but you would be wrong. These plants are helping make auto parts that are green in more ways than one.

Automakers have so far focused most of their efforts on improving the efficiency of their engines to cut emissions of carbon dioxide. Toyota Motor Corp.'s wildly popular Prius hybrid is perhaps the best-known example.

Moving out from under the hood, car companies are now working to take advantage of drivers' growing concern for the environment to set their products apart.

Toyota's leaf-shaped one-seat electric car, the i-unit, which it unveiled at the 2005 Aichi World Exposition, grabbed attention for its unique design.

But what most people admiring the car didn't know was the body was made using kenaf fiber.

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