The hood, doors and front fenders are stamped from aluminum alloy, which makes the body of the all-new Qashqai 60 kg lighter. This improves efficiency and thereby contributes to reduced emissions. In addition, it helps accommodate more technology, including the all-new vehicle's electrified powertrain.
Aluminum production at Nissan's
Sunderland plant includes the 2nd extra large press line that was
launched last year and the cyclone - a recycling facility that blasts
out scrap metal at 150 km an hour and can handle more than seven tons of
metal an hour, ensuring less waste and a greener production process.
As
hoods and doors are stamped into shape, scrap material is shredded and
extracted, keeping aluminum grades separate. The separation ensures that
Nissan can return high-quality scrap to suppliers for them to turn into
aluminum alloy sheets.
This "closed-loop" recycling system
reduces waste and CO2 emissions. This contributes to the goal Nissan has
set itself of achieving carbon neutrality across the company's
operations and the life cycle of its products by 2050.
Recycling scrap aluminum saves more than 90% of the energy needed to create a comparable amount from raw materials.
The
Qashqai follows the new Rogue sold in North America as the second
global model for Nissan to feature aluminum parts produced with the
closed-loop recycling process. Nissan is considering expanding the
application of this process to future models and other factories.
