Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing
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There's no one single breakthrough, but rather a combination of improvements that make this possible.
Automakers have dreamed of using [carbon fiber](http://www.autoblog.com/tag/carbon fiber/) in mass production for decades. But sky-high raw material prices and painfully slow manufacturing cycle times meant that dream was always more like a fantasy. Not anymore. Several recent advancements mean that carbon fiber could soon play an important role in the automotive industry.
Carbon fiber has been used in race cars, exotic sports cars and in automotive aftermarket parts for years. But now automakers believe they’ve identified the path of how to use it in mass production, and do so by the second half of this decade.
There’s no one single breakthrough, but rather a combination of improvements that make this possible. And they’re coming just in time for automakers who face the daunting task of boosting their average fuel economy to 54.5 miles per gallon.
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John McElroy is host of the TV program **“Autoline Detroit”](http://www.autolinedaily.com/) and daily web video “Autoline Daily”](Autoline Daily - Autoline). **Every month he brings his unique insights as a Detroit insider to Autoblog readers.*[/RIGHT]
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