Nissan’s Goal and Greener Interior Materials

Idea: Halos are Nice But Volume Pays the Bills

Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida thinks that the company will have a comeback somewhat soon—if not the end of this year, then early in 2021. This will be a product-led revival. In this business, it is always a product-led revival, because what else is there?

Nissan’s Uchida plans for improvement. (Image: Nissan)

To that end—well, at least part of it—Nissan is bringing back the Z, the Nissan Z Proto. “Prototype,” perhaps?

You can see the unveiling on TheNissanNext.com on Tuesday, September 15 at 7;30 pm CDT.

Nissan describes it as “50 years of passion and heritage with modern technology.”

It is not clear when it will arrive in showrooms.

(Image: Nissan)

A better play for Nissan will probably be the Ariya, a battery electric crossover. It is to arrive in 2021. At some point.

Know that in the U.S. in 2019 (being used for purposes of a year of normalcy) Nissan sold 2,384 370Z models, down 31.3% compared to 2018.

And as for its current EV offering, the Leaf, its 2019 sales were 12,365, down a more modest 16% compared to 2018.

The Nissan Ariya electric crossover. (Image: Nissan)

Arguably the Z Proto and Ariya will be halos. Because Nissan needs to have volume products doing well if Uchida’s goal is to be achieved.

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Innovation: What to Do with CO₂

Put it in foam.

That’s what Swiss company FoamPartner is doing in the development of its cardyon material, a polyol. Chemical company Covestro has developed a technology that allows up to 20% CO₂ incorporated into polyols, which are then used in the production of polyurethanes. An objective is to create materials for interiors—headliners, door panels and seat covers. The low-emission foams are laminated to a textile for these applications. FoamPartner is marketing the material under the “OBoNature” name.

Know This: “We are now taking another important step toward using carbon dioxide as an alternative raw material in the chemical industry on an even broader scale.”--Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer of Covestro

How Covestro is using carbon dioxide for polymers. (Image: Covestro)