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Nissan is to introduce a new catalyst that uses half the amount of precious metal of a conventional catalyst in the Cube car that it is launching in Japan next week (19 November).

The new catalyst configuration stops the precious metals from "clumping" together during use by introducing a "wall" material that separates the individual clusters.

The clumping effect in conventional catalysts means that carmakers have to use double the amount of material in order to achieve the required surface area within the catalyst for the cleaning effect to take place.

Nissan's research manager Masanori Nakamura likens the effect of the wall materials to the way a bird's nest protects eggs. He added: "Nissan engineers approached the problem from a physical perspective rather than a chemical perspective to achieve the breakthrough."

The auto industry uses around 50 per cent of the world's platinum and 80 per cent of rhodium in catalysts.

The Nissan catalyst will be manufactured at the Yokohama plant in Japan for the Japanese market and the intention is to make the technology available across the Renault-Nissan alliance.