Specialist car parts manufacturing firm Nifco UK is to team up with DuPont for a new lightweight Jaguar car project.

Nifco UK has released details of the cutting edge new scheme, designed as part of the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Alive6 Project with government funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre.

The firm, based in the North East, has shared the details of its innovative new oil pan which it claims to be lighter and stronger than any of its steel counterparts.

The thermoplastic composite part weights 1,000 kg less than a steel equivalent, and has been engineered with continuous glass fibres that are no longer than those used in normal reinforced plastics, to deliver the best possible performance while staying lightweight.

Mike Matthews, Managing Director at Nifco UK, commented: Metal was once considered to be the only material resilient and heat resistant enough to withstand the loads within a car engine, but with new technology comes the opportunity to create ever-more effective and efficient products.

Nifco has invested heavily in research and development facilities and equipment, at a cost of many thousands of pounds, and we believe that our role as a Tier One supplier is to proactively support original equipment manufacturers to make the most efficient cars possible.

Meanwhile, programme leader at DuPont, Anthony Loth, said that this is a major triumph for a new technology and a new material that has been possible thanks to their selected partnership with Nifco, becoming an innovative leader on this oil pan market.

Loth added: We believe the Vizilon lightweighting solution will thrive in the future composite oil pan business.

Earlier in the year, Nifco UK was names as Teesside Company of the Year at the North East Business Awards.

The Eaglescliffe firm supplies major automotive manufacturers including Ford, Toyota, Jaguar Landrover, Nissan, Renault and Vauxhall Opel and for every million parts it ships, less than one part is defective.