Canadian Manufacturing Giant Begins Work on ‘Soybean Car’

Magna International is looking for ways to make cars out of organic plastics.

Think a car made out of soybeans is a dumb idea? Henry Ford didn’t think so. He introduced the first car made out of organic plastics 70 years ago. Ford never pursued the idea after the Second World War, but now Magna International has partnered with the National Research Council to build a new facility in Ontario to investigate how to make plastics a more integral part of the auto manufacturing process. Making cars out of plastics derived from hemp or soybeans would not only have the advantage of making automobiles biodegradable, but it would also create lighter and more fuel-efficient vehicles. The idea remains a long shot at this point, however, as there is currently no way to mass-produce high-quality organic plastics.