Japanese carmaker Nissan is planning to increase the use of advanced high tensile strength steel (AHSS) to reduce vehicle weight in new production models from 2017.
The company had developed 1.2 gigapascal (GPa), ultra high tensile strength steel with high formability that was used in the Infiniti Q50 model, which will be made available in North America in 2013.
According to the company, usage of the 1.2GPa steel in its vehicles will be aimed at decreasing cars weight by 15% and 25% of the gross weight of the parts installed per vehicle.
The company claims that the steel will offer more elongation, strength and high formability to make lighter-weight steel sheets, while reducing the number of materials used per vehicle and can be deployed by using the existing production lines without big modification.
Use of the steel is expected by the company to reduce vehicle weight and offer better fuel economy, which would supports its Nissan Green Program that aims at a 35% improvement in fuel economy compared with 2005 for all its vehicles by 2016.
