The boss of Japanese textile company Teijin says the company aims to cut the weight of automobiles in half. Their goal is to reduce the bulk of the average ton car by 1,000 pounds in five years. That, they say, by way of materials like bioplastics and carbon fiber (natch). As a showcase, the company unveiled its PU_PA concept, a small, lightweight car that could double as the grumpy bot neighbor on a Japanese sitcom. The PU_PA makes use of a bioplastic Teijin developed with Mazda, branded Biofront, which is heat resistant and smells like life itself, give or take. [Green Car Congress]