Nissan going for a lightweight strategy, looks for 15 percent reduction in 7 years

While some of Nissan's green moves include forays into diesel technology (see these posts on the Titan and the Forum concept), the company is also working on a foolproof way to increase MPGs: reducing weight. According to a story in DowJones, Nissan is working to slash the average weight of its vehicles by 15 percent (compared to 2005 model year numbers) over the next seven years. The cuts will come "by rethinking vehicle design, using light weight materials and encouraging parts suppliers to also pursue the new efficiency targets."

While Autoblog greeted this news with an eye to more "compelling driving dynamics" (something I don't discount), this news is really a win for the auto industry as a whole. Nissan isn't some niche company making 100 cars a year, and if they seriously get into lightweight materials like carbon fiber panels, the cost for those expensive parts should go down for everyone. Now that's exciting.

[Source: Chris Oliver / DowJones via Autoblog]