By Nina Ying Sun
ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR
Published: September 9, 2014 1:33 pm ET
Updated: September 9, 2014 1:34 pm ET
Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd. has started mass production of lightweight plastic coolant pipes, claiming this is the first time the pipes have been manufactured in Japan with water-assisted injection molding.
The new pipes achieved a 40 percent weight reduction, compared to conventional pipes made of iron or stainless steel, the company said in a news release. The intricate, three-dimensional curves of the new pipes — unattainable with conventional metal pipes — also help downsize the engine size.
Toyoda Gosei said the new pipes display sufficient durability against coolants, thanks to its advanced material technology to compound and mix apposite materials for each product.
The pipes are used on Lexus NX, released in July 2014, as coolant pipes for the intercooler of the turbocharger engine. Toyoda Gosei said it plans to expand the application to a wider range of nameplates across automakers. | 
