Japanese Aim To Produce Fiber-Body Cars

Major Japanese car companies may be using a lot less steel in future cars.  Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. have joined with Toray Industries Inc. to develop a new carbon-fiber material for use in auto bodies.  The goal the companies say, is to mass produce cars that are lighter, by as much as 40%, than steel-built vehicles, according to Market Watch.  The companies will be joined by textile firms Mitsubishi Rayon Co. and Toyoba Co., plastic parts maker Takagi Seiko Corp. and researchers from the University of Tokyo. 

The joint effort comes as iron ore prices skyrocket, which have in turn inflated steel prices and raw material costs.  Although carbon fiber is currently more expensive than steel or aluminum, the price gap is expected to narrow because there is significant room for increasing production of the new material, the companies said.

If successful, the efforts will help produce lighter vehicles than can also improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions; not to mention free up some of the world’s steel supply for other manufacturers.