However, if you hire one of those guys with a useful degree who is willing to get his hands dirty, work for a living, and yet, not be part of a union (you know, a real engineer), and you then ask him to make it crashworthy, he will use geometry and a mix of composites to make you a practically bullet proof part that is both more flexible and lighter than steel.

The jury is still out on cost of repair because while it does become trash in a serious crash, it can be stronger and keep a crash from being so dramatic. You need long term fleet studies that compensate for the cost of repairs that are currently inflated due to lack of skilled workers (its a chicken and egg thing). In aviation we went through this phase and it is now known that a properly made composite plane is stronger and cheaper over time than aluminum. Bird strikes and ground manuever accidents really tell the tale. The only thing comparable is chrome moly frames with aluminum skin which is quite heavy, but really strong.

It is true that CF is still really expensive, but from what I understand it’s more of a supply and demand thing rather than a cost of ingredients and energy thing. If car makers really want it, they need to build their own fab.

Fair Disclosure: I am no expert. What I know is from talking with and working for aircraft manufacturers and from owning a composite aircraft.

Idiots.