GM Partners with Teijin

General Motors has signed an agreement with Japanese carbon fibre manufacturer Teijin Ltd to jointly develop carbon fiber automobile parts, the Nikkei business daily has said.

Teijin will create a research and development unit in the United States where researchers from both companies will try to bring fibre-based, light-weight parts to the mass-market as early as 2015.

Carbon fibre parts, such as frames, roofs and hoods, can cut vehicle weight by more than 20 percent, saving fuel and helping companies meet tighter emission norms, the business daily said.

The partnership, likely to benefit from Teijin’s technology that reduces the time needed to form carbon fibre products, may also establish a manufacturing joint venture, the Nikkei added.

GM’s rivals, BMW and Daimler AG, have already forged similar carbon fibre partnerships with Teijin’s Japanese competitors such as Toray Industries Inc and Mitsubishi Rayon.

[via Reuters]

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