Wednesday, July 13, 2011
By Pranjal Gera
Nissan target fuel efficiency with less weighing models
Tougher regulations on the horizon and increasing fuel prices forcing all the car makers to come out with measures to increase fuel efficiency of their cars. Japanese car maker, Nissan also joins the league by announcing changes in its cars to reduce fuel consumption. Nissan will be cutting down its vehicles weight by 15 percent all across its range for increasing fuel efficiency.
The first car after the changes will be launched soon and will be available in US. The new Nissan Versa known to us as Nissan Sunny will be available in US in coming weeks. Nissan will be using lighter materials with smart designs to reduce weight but with no compromise with safety in anyway. With safety regulations going tough and strict emission norms coming in to force all leading car makers are adopting modern technology for making their cars environment friendly.
Nissan might have to face problems as the modern materials are light and strong but are very expensive thus increasing the cost of manufacturing. Nissan will be using magnesium, advanced plastics and aluminium in its cars so it will be a challenge for the company to maintain the prices.
Carbon fibre is a popular material for making modern sports cars as it is lighter and stronger than steel and the ultra light sports car is in a range of quarter of a million dollars. Car makers will have to come up with some other option for making mid-sized cars as Carbon fibre is very expensive.
Nissan might also make changes in the engines to increase fuel efficiency. The new Nissan Versa known as Nissan Sunny will be having an inline 4 cylinders 1.6 ltr engine as compared to old 1.8 ltr engine. The company will reduce the weight of the car by using lighter materials for braking systems and aluminium in the engine.
The infotainment systems are in demand so it will be difficult for Auto makers to fulfill customer demand while following strict government norms. The new regulations will change the technology of modern automobiles and will reduce our dependency on fossil fuels.
