Magna International Inc. (Aurora, ON) has taken the wraps off what it says is the first all-thermoplastic liftgate for a North American produced vehicle. Magna's Exteriors unit is producing the fully recyclable liftgate for the 2014 Nissan Rogue crossover.

According to Magna, the liftgate is unique in that all materials are fully olefinic and therefore fully recyclable at the end of the vehicle's life, and it features the first painted outer panel made from thermoplastic olefin.  The full liftgate assembly, weighing in at 24 kg, is 30% lighter than the stamped steel system used in the 2013 Rogue, which helps contribute to the vehicle's overall fuel economy increase.

The liftgate assembly is made by Magna Exteriors' Decostar division in Carrollton, Georgia.  and is delivered to Nissan as a module for single-point installation at its Smyrna, Tennessee, assembly plant. The outer panel with integrated spoiler material is molded from a thermoplastic olefin (TPO) compound supplied by LyondellBasell Industries while the inner panel material is a 30% long glass fiber polypropylene (PP) supplied by Mitsui Chemicals group company Advanced Composites. The outer panel is 2.8 mm in thickness, while the inner panel is 2.5-mm thick. These major components are molded on 3500-tonne injection presses.

Additional grades are employed in the badge, license lamp trim, and washer nozzle. Overall, approximately 140 separate components constitute the entire assembly,