LIUX BIG: flax-fiber monocoque, pre-production due in 2027

At stand A14 in Hall 7.1 of the Paris Motor Show, a small two-seater is drawing attention: the LIUX BIG, the first commercial model from young Spanish brand LIUX, which is attending an international car show for the first time. What sets it apart is less its size than its body: its monocoque, meaning the structure that carries the entire vehicle, is made of a flax-fiber biocomposite. Founder Antonio Espinosa de los Monteros says the starting question was broader than electrification: “how do you make a car more sustainable, not just through electrification, but also through its materials, the way it is built, recycled and used”.

The idea dates back to 2020, when he met David Sancho, an engineer who had developed a hypercar shown at Le Mans. The manufacturer claims the monocoque is 40% lighter than a steel equivalent and has a carbon footprint about 60% lower, based on its own figures. Flax fiber is not new in the car industry: the Volvo EX30 uses it in its cabin, Cupra Born VZ seats contain it, and BMW plans to use it in future M models. Using it for a vehicle's structure, however, remains much rarer, and this is where LIUX is positioning itself.

Why such a car, and for whom? According to the executive, the choice of the L7e category is a cost question: homologating the BIG as an M1, the category for conventional cars, would require a far higher level of investment, whereas the L7e, in his view, covers most urban and suburban trips. Charging is done from a domestic socket, at 3.3 kW with the small battery and 4.8 kW with the large one; it takes less than three hours to go from 20% to 80% with the 15 kWh battery. The model shown in Paris is a pre-production unit: its exterior design will be identical in series production, but the cabin still needs to improve in quality, with some parts 3D-printed for the show. Sales are expected in France in 2027.

LIUX produces its composites in Alicante and assembles the car in Azuqueca de Henares, near Madrid. The first phase of the plant is set to deliver 5,000 vehicles a year, with a plan to expand to 15,000 to 20,000 units at the same site. The electronics, however, come from China, due, according to the executive, to a lack of European supply: “There simply isn’t any supply in Europe. No batteries, no electric motors of this size, no controllers, no screens”.

Funding remains a backdrop: the young company relies mainly on private investors, supplemented by European funds, and a new funding round has just been closed to cover its needs over two years. Accessible from age 16 with a B1 licence, the BIG is due to arrive in France in 2027, according to the announced timetable. For the sector, the use of flax in structures remains rare, and the monocoque presented here is an example of it. Weight and carbon figures remain the manufacturer's own, and the electronics depend on overseas suppliers.