Toyota Motor Co will put its cars on diets, reduce the weight of its midsize passenger cars by about 10% in hopes of improving the vehicles' fuel efficiency by 3%.
A car must lose about 100kg (220lbs) in order to increase its fuel economy by 2-3%.
Stricter standards in Japan, the U.S. and Europe are behind the diet.
Toyota has improved driving technology, combustion efficiency and developed hybrids.
Next up, lighter vehicles.
Toyota's Camry, for example, will lose about 120kg of its 1,500 kg size.
More aluminum, high-tensile steel sheet. magnesium seat frames, aluminum wiring instead of copper....all told, some 30,000 parts in a single model can be affected.
Lighter = costlier and weaker, until Toyota gets involved.
Don't you wish we could replace our frames with lighter stronger material to lose weight?
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