BMW plans to expand use of carbon fibre composites beyond the futuristic i3 electric vehicle it will launch next year.

Klaus Draeger, BMW board member for development, said the i3 is the first vehicle in which BMW has used carbon fibre extensively for the body. BMW uses some carbon fibre in smaller amounts, such as the M3 and M6 roofs.

“We are now looking at how we can also bring carbon fibre further into the series production of our conventional vehicles,” Draeger said in an interview at the Geneva auto show. “But this is more or less the state of research.”

Draeger foresees “an intelligent mix of material” including high-strength steel, aluminum and carbon fibre as automakers work to take weight out of vehicles, prodded by more stringent fuel economy and emissions regulations.

The i3 was developed as part of BMW’s Megacity project, a rethinking of the automobile for sustainability. The small EV will go on sale next year.