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Traditionally, the main structural components of land transport vehicles, e.g. passenger vehicles and trucks, have been made of metals such as steel and aluminium. As the number of vehicles increases on the road, global effort to reduce pollutant emission has put pressure on the vehicle manufacturers to design and manufacture fuel-efficient vehicles using strong and light-weight structures made of materials such as fibre-reinforced polymer composite (FRP) laminates [1] . For instance, with regard to the new Volvo performance car, Polestar 1, a majority of the parts in the upper body, including doors, bonnet and boot lid, are made of carbon FRP (CFRP) laminates [2] . Interestingly, this design not only provides for maximum stiffness and lightness, but reduces the weight of the upper body, lowers the vehicle’s centre of gravity that results in enhanced handling, performance and drivability [2] .