Nissan to cut car weight by 15% to save fuel

DETROIT: Nissan Motor, 44% owned by Renault, aims to reduce the weight of all its vehicles by 15% by 2015 to win customers by improving fuel economy.

The company will increase the use of lighter materials such as aluminium, plastic fibre and magnesium alloys in place of steel, executive vice president Mitsuhiko Yamashita said in an interview at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Sunday.

Nissan and other carmakers are building more fuel-efficient models as gasoline sells for near record levels of $3 a gallon in the US, the world’s largest auto market. The move will also help Nissan meet tougher fuel-efficiency rules to be implemented by the US, Japan and other markets.hybrids, which can’t recharge at outlets.

“Improving our cars’ fuel efficiency will boost our competitiveness as the price of oil surges. We want to comply with new rules before governments put them into practice,” Yamashita said.