Nissan will use gigacasting, a manufacturing process pioneered by Tesla, to make part of its electric vehicles as the automaker joins global rivals in pursuing the innovation to cut costs.
The carmaker will use machines with about 6,000 tons of force to make the rear floors of EVs to be sold from fiscal 2027 onward, according to an announcement Tuesday. The process will reduce manufacturing costs by 10%, the company said, and is part of its broader strategy to achieve cost parity between electric and combustion-engine vehicles by fiscal 2030.
Japanese carmakers are playing catch-up with the likes of Tesla and Chinese giant BYD to carve out a share of the global EV market. For manufacturers like Nissan, which makes Japan’s most popular EV, the high prices of battery-powered cars are proving to be a major hurdle to more widespread adoption.