Nissan Working On Making Future Cars Lighter With Use Of Advanced Steel

Nissan announced that it will build more models using a new type of steel that combines high tensile strength with a previously unachievable degree of formability, resulting in lighter vehicles that will partly help in lowering emissions. Nissan will be the first carmaker in the world to use the high-formability steel, with a tensile strength of 980 megapascals, which was jointly developed by Nissan and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. The steel's combination of stamping formability and strength makes it possible to form parts with complex shapes that are thinner and lighter than those made of conventional high tensile strength steel, while maintaining the ability to absorb energy in a collision.

The Infiniti QX50 is the first car to get the high tensile steel

The Infiniti QX50 premium midsize SUV is the world's first vehicle with front and rear side members made from 980-megapascal ultrahigh tensile strength steel, along with other body frame parts. Nissan plans to expand the use of the material, which enhances fuel efficiency as well as driving performance by lowering vehicle weight, to other models.

Nissan launched a sustainability plan this month that calls for lowering CO2 emissions from its new vehicles by 40 per cent by fiscal year 2022, compared to fiscal year 2000. The company is developing technologies to expand the use of ultrahigh tensile strength steel, aiming for it to make up 25 per cent of the company's vehicle parts by weight. The material makes up 27 per cent of the new QX50.

The 980-megapascal steel developed with Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal can be cold-pressed, making it suitable for mass production. This will help contain increases in vehicle cost and give the company's designers the much needed flexibility to make beautiful looking cars which are lighter, safer and better to drive