STILFOLD launches Car Canvas – reshaping European car manufacturing

STILFOLD is launching Car Canvas – a new platform set to transform how cars are designed and manufactured. By combining digital processes, robotics, and industrial origami, the company aims to create a circular and cost-efficient production model that makes vehicles lighter, more sustainable, and faster to develop.

Swedish technology company STILFOLD, creator of the groundbreaking industrial origami manufacturing technique, today unveiled Car Canvas – a new platform redefining how vehicles are designed and built.

There’s never been a more dynamic era for mobility than now. The automotive landscape is being reinvented before our eyes, not just through incremental changes, but via new technology paradigms like generative design, software and robotics that redefine what’s possible.

“If Europe’s automotive sector continues to move incrementally while global competitors scale exponentially, it will not just lose market share — it will lose its role as the industrial backbone of Europe’s economy and society. Europe’s automakers must integrate sustainability, cost efficiency, and speed to market — or risk ceding leadership permanently”, says Jonas Nyvang, CEO STILFOLD.

Car Canvas envisions a low-cost, circular, and highly flexible production model where digital design and robotics replace heavy tooling investments. The result: lighter vehicles, faster development cycles, and dramatically reduced environmental impact.

Proven with Volvo Cars

In a recently completed FFI project with Volvo Cars, STILFOLD demonstrated the power of its technology. Key results included:

• ~50% fewer structural components

• Lower material consumption and weight

• Significantly reduced tooling and production costs

• Shorter lead times from concept to prototype

Read full project report here.

The findings confirm that Car Canvas is not a distant vision but a realizable model to meet both industry and climate demands.

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Backed by Industry Partners

Car Canvas is being developed with the Scandinavian Automotive Supplier Association (FKG) as founding partner. This partnership strengthens ties to the Swedish automotive sector and the broader European supply chain. Leveraging FKG’s network, Car Canvas has the potential to become a catalyst for scaling industrial origami into a new standard for car manufacturing in Europe.

“With Car Canvas, we aim to prove that Europe can lead the next industrial revolution – where design, technology, and sustainability move in lockstep,” said Jonas Nyvang, CEO and co-founder of STILFOLD.

Invitation to Collaborate

STILFOLD invites researchers, automakers, suppliers, policymakers, and investors to join the development of Car Canvas at www.carcanvas.dev. Together, the community can build the vehicles of the future – with less material, lower carbon impact, and stronger European competitiveness.

About FFI

FFI (Strategic Vehicle Research and Innovation) is a collaboration between the Swedish government and the automotive industry. Since 2009, the program has financed research and innovation in sustainable road transport.

For further information, please contact:

Jonas Nyvang, CEO, STILFOLD
Email: jonas.nyvang@stilfold.com
Phone: +46 70-766 30 22

About STILFOLD

STILFOLD is a Swedish design and technology company revolutionizing manufacturing with its patented origami-inspired curve-folding technology. The company combines sustainability with innovative design to create strong, lightweight, and cost-efficient structures with minimal environmental impact. STILFOLD’s unique method enables the production of complex metal components from flat materials, reducing material waste, energy consumption, and the need for heavy tooling.

The company collaborates closely with clients across various industries, including automotive, aerospace, and consumer goods, to develop tailored solutions that meet the future demands of sustainability and innovation. With a strong belief that form and function should unite without compromise, STILFOLD aims to redefine the possibilities within design and manufacturing.