Japan’s Toray Industries has developed a proprietary process for producing carbon fibre-based advanced composite materials that can be mass produced and formed into a variety of shapes including automotive components, according to BRG Automotive Newswire.

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Citing Nikkei News, the BRG report said that Toray has already produced drive shafts for two Nissan models sold in Japan.

The drive shafts are said to weigh half that of their steel counterparts and are equal or superior in strength and the cost to produce the composite shaft is the same as a steel shaft. Toray said it could also produce exterior sheet to replace sheet metal, shock absorber housings and structural parts as well, the report added.

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