"THE POWER COMES FROM INSIDE." This simple phrase familiar to every Nissan employee conveys a powerful truth. Any company is only as strong as the people who bring it to life. Companies do not create products, deliver services or solve problems; people do.
Feb. 13 – Mexico City - About 70 taxi drivers in Mexico have been
driving fully electric Nissan LEAFs for more than a year now as part of
pilot program to test zero-emission vehicles for mass transit. That
means they have been picking up and dropping off passengers without ever
stopping for gas.
A line of Nissan LEAFs in Mexico City
“The car is extremely easy to drive, a completely automatic car with
no shifting of gears. The steering is very soft with no problem
whatsoever. The mirrors are functional. The seats are very comfortable.
It is a new car,” said Mexico City LEAF taxi driver Cristóbal Reynoso.
There are 20 Nissan LEAF taxis in central Mexico City and in another
50 in Aguascalientes. There also is a growing charging infrastructure to
support operations of EV mobility in both locations – including a fast
charger now in Mexico City.
“The reaction is 100% positive, once again, because it is a new car,
and there are only 20 Nissan LEAF in Mexico, a big difference. People
ask you why is it so different compared to other cars, how do you charge
it up, how many hours can you drive, how fast is it, how do we got to
be chosen to drive it. All these questions are very pleasant for me, so
it is very fun,” said Reynoso.
The special taxis are part of a program called Zero Emissions Taxis.
The 70 electric taxis prevent about three tons of CO2 emissions from
going into the atmosphere. That’s about how much would be released from
that number of conventional gas cars
An electric taxi in Mexico City
The LEAF is a five-passenger vehicle that gives instant torque. The
power is there when you touch the pedal. There is no lag, no revving-up
or shifting gears, it just goes. “I think the Mexican people have very good acceptance with the LEAF. I
mean they are very proactive with electric cars, with green cars. They
are very proud to be part of this kind of initiative here in Mexico,”
said Alejandro Viveros, leader of the Zero-Emission Business Unit for
Nissan Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean
Nissan aims to make the LEAF available for public purchase in Mexico
next year. The company is working with state, local and national
governments to make that happen.
“Mexico will be a key stakeholder in all the EV expansion for Nissan in the Americas,” said Viveros.
“I think there should be more electric cars. This is only the
beginning, the tip of the iceberg, and as time goes by there will be
much more electric cars,” said Reynoso.
CHICAGO (Feb. 8, 2013) – A year ago Nissan launched a
social media-directed Nissan 370Z build-up called “Project 370Z” at the
2012 Chicago Auto Show.
The idea was to capture the passion and knowledge of Nissan Z fans,
online, to help direct the creation of a unique, one-off Nissan 370Z
with readily available aftermarket parts and accessories.
“We thought it would be interesting to harness the power of social
media to reach out to Z enthusiasts – the people who are doing this to
their own cars every day,” said Jon Brancheau, vice president, Nissan
Marketing. The
finished Project 370Z car, which currently is on display at the 2013
Chicago Auto Show, has more than 500 horsepower (a bump from the 332 hp
on a stock 370Z) and performance features like a GReddy Twin Turbo kit
with Type RZ Blow Off Valves and a GReddy Turbo Ti-C Exhaust. It rides
low on VOLK TE37SL custom-finished wheels.
The next step in this campaign takes Project 370Z to the track.
Social media followers are invited to vote for a privately owned Nissan Z
to compete against the project car at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in
mid-March. Follow along, or enter your Z in the contest, As Nissan said, “You helped us build it. Now it needs a challenger.”
Feb. 8 – Kawasaki – Directors, actors, media and fans filled the streets for the 67th annual Mainichi Film Awards, which celebrates the best of Japanese cinema.
Another rising star? The 100% electric LEAF, which Nissan presented to Isao Natsuyagi, awarded best actor for his role in Kibou no Kuni (The Land of Hope).
In the film, Natsuyagi is a dairy farmer in the fictional Nagashima
prefecture, whose life takes a turn when a strong earthquake triggers a
nuclear meltdown.
Here, in a scene of particular resonance in Japan, the farmer finds out his home is close to the radioactive exclusion zone. Natsuyagi said he is the man that he portrayed, while the film’s
discussion of energy use is important not only in Japan, but globally.
“We humans need to think about what kind of energy we need to use in order to survive,” said Natsuyagi.
“I think this is very important because we are not the only ones who
need to survive. We live today thanks to the environment including all
the other animals and plants. That is why it is very important to think
about energy because it affects them, too.”
Taking to the stage to accept the best-actor award, Natsuyagi also picked up an intelligent key to his new LEAF.
“I have received an electric vehicle,” said Natsuyagi. “Only the
image of a toy car comes to mind when I think of an EV. The car I
received has the latest technology and it’s amazing. I am looking
forward to trying it out and going for a spin.”
A small fleet of LEAFs chauffeured all the actors around Kawasaki, and Natsuyagi said it’s different than the cars he’s used to.
“It is the first time for me to ride in a LEAF. It was so quiet,” he said.
“I have a Citroen DS21, a French car and also a Volvo. Both of them
make quite a bit of noise. Bom-Bom-Bom, like that. For me, this car,
which does not emit smoke and is impossible to know if I turned the key
or not, is a mystery.”
Natsuyagi said he already knows his first destination.
“First, I want to drive along the coastline as I look at the ocean.”
Hearing the clear sound of waves, he says, would be a good fit for his quiet – and zero-emission – prize.
Feb. 8 – Yokohama – Nissan announced third quarter financial results Friday, posting a net profit of 54.1 billion yen, or $670 million, down 35% from the same period last year.
Nissan CVP Joji Tagawa delivers quarterly results
Joji Tagawa, Nissan’s corporate vice president with responsibility
for investor relations, said the quarter fell short of the company’s
expectations, but Nissan is maintaining its full-year profit outlook.
“We have positive results, both from an operational and financial
standpoint,” Tagawa said. “But we have a couple of challenges: the China
situation, the European situation is slowing down and .we are facing
some tough times in selling new vehicles in the United States.”
A weaker yen and increasing sales in China should boost performance during the current quarter and beyond.
The yen has fallen to a 20-month low against the dollar and
similar slide against the euro, after Japan’s new Liberal Democratic
Party-led government committed to defeating deflation and boosting Japan
Inc competitiveness.
In China, Nissan’s sales jumped 22% in January – a sign the impact of
a territorial row over the Senkaku, or Diaoyu, Islands last year is
fading.
Nissan results announcement in Yokohama
“Both [China and the yen] are improving. They have a while to go, but
they are getting better, ” said Bertel Schmitt, Japan-based blogger and
editor-in-chief of The Truth About Cars.
Nissan’s results follow Toyota, which now expects a profit of 860
billion yen this fiscal year, while Japan’s No. 3 automaker Honda
trimmed its profit outlook 1.3% to 370 billion.
With a raft of models in the pipeline, including the Versa Note
displayed last month in Detroit, CVP Tagawa said Nissan remains on track
to meet its longer-term goals.
Feb. 7 – Chicago – Nissan performance and utility took center stage for the company at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show.
First there was the debut of the new 2013 Juke NISMO and then the
2014 370Z NISMO. These models are part of an expansion of the NISMO
brand worldwide. As part of the NISMO line up, they are designed to be
the most forward-looking expression of Nissan, offering cutting-edge
performance, technology and aerodynamics.
Then Nissan showed an even higher-performance version of the 2014
Nissan GT-R, the limited-production GT-R Track Edition. Just 150 of
these cars will be offered for sale at GT-R certified U.S. Nissan
dealerships beginning in May. It is designed to take
Nissan’s legendary 545-hp street supercar even closer to a pure
motorsports competition machine. It features a firmer suspension,
special brake cooling guides, front spoiler with carbon fiber air ducts
and a lightweight quilted cloth mat where the rear seats usually reside.
In addition to the array of performance vehicles revealed at the
show, the all-new 2013 Nissan NV200 cargo van is on stage for the
company. This van, according to Nissan’s Vice President of Commercial Vehicles
Joe Castelli, will position Nissan for growth in the compact van
segment.
“For business owners who have been making do with larger, more costly
vans and pickups than they really need, or re-purposing passenger
vehicles, we’re providing relief with this all-new ‘right-sized’ Nissan
NV200. Here in North America we’re projecting the compact van segment to
nearly double in size in the next few years. The Nissan NV200 will be a
major part of that growth,” said Castelli.
The 2013 Chicago Show runs through Feb. 18 Chicago’s McCormick Place.
Feb. 7 – Nissan subsidiary JATCO
announced investment of $220 million to build its second automotive
parts plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico on Wednesday, beginning operations
in the summer of 2014. The factory will manufacture 400,000 automatic transmissions annually and have capacity to produce 1.7 million transmissions a year.
The company established JATCO Mexico in 2003 as its first overseas
manufacturing base, and has been producing Continuously Variable
Transmissions (CVTs) since 2005.
Cumulative production reached 3.8 million units in 2012, and the
second plant will bring the total Mexico-based production capacity to
1.7 million by fiscal 2016. At the start of operation of the second plant, the number of employees will increase to 3,200 from the current 2,200.
The new plant will be located in the same site as Nissan Mexicana’s new manufacturing complex, which opens by the end of 2013. The plant will be also used to produce automatic transmissions licensed from Daimler, which will be utilized in select Nissan and Infiniti vehicles beginning in 2016.
“Mexico is a very important base for JATCO in achieving the company’s
objective to attain 1 trillion yen sales by fiscal year 2018,” said
Takashi Hata, President and CEO of JATCO.
“Since the start of production, JATCO Mexico has been steadily
producing high quality products to meet the expanding demand for
environmentally-friendly CVTs and that prompted us to make further
expansion in this country. Another important reason is a strong support
from the governments of Mexico and Aguascalientes. With their continued
cooperation, JATCO is determined to contribute to the economies of the
region and the country.”
Feb. 6 – Franklin, Tenn. – The all-electric Nissan LEAF may be known for being quiet on the outside,
but now it’s in concert on the inside with the first custom-designed
Bose® Energy Efficient Series sound system available on the 2013 model
that goes on sale this month.
The Bose system in the LEAF delivers powerful, high-quality audio,
but with a significantly smaller and lighter footprint than conventional
systems and at about half the electrical current. “Early adopters of EVs were thrilled to have a zero-emissions
vehicle and now that we’re expanding the market and it matures, many
customers are asking for more amenities in their EV,” said Brendan Jones, Nissan director of EV marketing.
“We wanted to be able to give them a premium sound system and be conscientious about the amount of energy required to do so.”
Nissan, which now assembles the LEAF, its battery and its electric
motor all in Tennessee, introduced an expanded range of trim levels for
the 2013 LEAF. The Bose system is available as part of the premium
package on SV and SL models.
Feb. 5 – Franklin, Tenn. – Nissan is moving its marketing campaign “Innovation for Endurance”
through new waters. The latest athlete involved in the car company’s
social media campaign is swimmer and five-time Olympic gold medalist
Ryan Lochte. He joins elite athletes Shalane
Flanagan, Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall who have connected with Nissan to
offer their take on performance, training and innovation through a
Facebook community. The site currently has more than 130,000 “likes” and
has 2,825 people actively discussing the site’s content.
“Nissan, they’re innovative and they’re looking for different ways
for speed and you know being an Olympian that’s one of the main things
that I am doing is I am looking for speed and different ways of getting
better,” said Lochte.
Lochte visited Nissan Americas headquarters outside of Nashville,
Tenn., to film the latest “Innovation for Endurance” campaign with his
personal trainer, David Jacks, in late January. The video production
had Lochte doing curls, jumping jacks and even something called a
prairie dog plunge in the office.
Nissan marketing Director Vinay Shahani remarked that the point of
this pairing between Nissan and Olympic athletes like Lochte is to
encourage a healthy lifestyle and to reach an active audience with
Nissan’s marketing messages. “These athletes are innovators in their
respective sports. Our products are innovative in the market and it’s a
great fit together.”
Lochte drives two Nissan cars, a 370Z Roadster and a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder.
Feb. 3 – Milton Keynes, UK – Triple World Formula One Champion
Sebastian Vettel and nine-time grand prix-winner Mark Webber at Red Bull
Racing’s UK base at Milton Keynes gave the world’s media a first
glimpse of the team’s new car.
Infiniti Red Bull Racing RB9
The delivery of RB9, which will defend both the drivers’ and
constructors’ championship titles, integrates Infiniti’s purple-hued
branding with the team’s existing racing colors.
Infiniti will become the exclusive Vehicle Performance Partner of the
team, in addition to agreeing to a four-year deal to be title partner,
as announced in November 2012.
“Our new, increased partnership as Infiniti Red Bull Racing is a key
milestone for Infiniti and a clear indication of our commitment to
building the brand globally,” said Johan de Nysschen, President of
Infiniti Motor Company.
“While the first 24 months delivered outstanding results for both
parties, out deeper involvement, which now sees us truly integrated as
one team, will bring significant benefits to our people, processes and
technology. We go into the 2013 season and beyond with a shared
objective to deliver world-leading performance on the track and the
road.”
Rotating technical staff through the F1 environment for Infiniti will
bring benefits in development processes and performance expertise. An
early indicator of the value of technical collaboration between the
organizations was last year’s development of the Infiniti FX Vettel
Edition from concept to production in just six months.
More recently, Infiniti Red Bull Racing drivers Sebastian Vettel had a
hands-on role test driving and developing the new Infiniti Q50.
Launch of the Infiniti Red Bull Racing RB9
Commenting on the strengthened relationship, Infiniti Red Bull Racing
Team Principal Christian Horner said: “Our stronger link with Infiniti
from 2013 is part of the natural evolution of our team and demonstrates
its growth.”
“We are still a young racing outfit and this title partnership is a
very welcome aspect of our development. I firmly believe it will prove
to be of enormous benefit on both sides over the coming years.”
Feb. 1 – Franklin, Tenn. – Nissan today announced the opening of its
most advanced paint plant in the world. This follows recent additions to
its vehicle assembly lines in Smyrna, Tenn., of the Infiniti JX and
Nissan LEAF, and the future addition of the Nissan Rogue.
Nissan's new advanced paint plant in Tennessee
The facility sets new standards for quality, efficiency and
environmental impacts, as it is capable of reducing energy consumption
by 30 percent, carbon emissions by 30 percent and volatile organic
compound (VOCs) emissions by 70 percent.
The plant will use an innovative three-wet paint process that applies
all three paint layers in succession, before the vehicle goes into the
oven.
Previous processes required the vehicle to bake in-between the primer application and the topcoat layers.
Implementation of this new technology reduces energy consumption, cost and emissions while increasing production efficiency.
The new facility will reduce both energy consumption and carbon emissions by 30 percent
The 250,000 square-foot footprint plant is located adjacent to
Nissan’s existing vehicle assembly plant in Tennessee and replaces
Nissan’s previous paint system that has been in service for nearly 30
years.
The plant is Nissan’s “Showcase Project” as part of the Department of
Energy’s Better Buildings Better Plants Challenge, where Nissan has
committed to reducing energy intensity in its three U.S. plants 25
percent by 2020.
January 31 – Nagoya – The factories are alive with the sound of music. These robots are hardly bound for Broadway, but following
choreographed paths of magnetic tape along the floor they can keep the
production line in harmony.
Carrying weight as well as carrying a tune, these CarryBee robots, are made by Nissan subsidiary Aichikikai Techno System, which began as an offshoot of Nissan’s Oppama plant.
The CarryBee assembly line
Each CarryBee is assembled by hand.
A maikon, or micro controller, is combined with a drive unit
to make a dolly-type, low-type, custom or kit robot – for DIY
manufacturers.
To date, some 1,450 bees have been buzzing around Nissan factories, with up to 400 made each year.
Nissan licenses the manufacture and sale of CarryBees, but Techno System developed its own patents.
Aichikikai Techno System President Kazuya Yoshida with a CarryBee
So what makes these CarryBees sing? Aichikikai Techno System President Kazuya Yoshida says each robot is
programmed with standard software for six songs, including Mary Had A
Little Lamb and the theme to the Japanese cartoon Sazae-san.
“The six songs, based on the customers’ preference, they can freely
choose the song using the dial. I think that the song that is used most
often is Sazae-san,” says Yoshida.
That might be a familiar jingle for Japanese clients, including
Toyota and Mitsubishi, but it’s also played at overseas factories, such
as those of General Motors, Volkswagen, Fiat and Hyundai. But the music’s main purpose:
“’Attention please!’ during normal running,” says Yoshida.
The robots are not only musical, they’re also smart, as some can
automatically self-charge their 8-hour capacity lithium battery, or
allow automatic train linking。
Yoshida says they might change the robots’ tunes in the future.
“The songs are currently standardized, but if it becomes necessary to
support customers with that, there’s the possibility to change the
songs.”
But for now, it’s “Play it again, Sazae-san.”
Jan. 28 – Yokohama - The age of mass-market, affordable fuel cell
electric vehicles may soon be here thanks to a unique, three-way
agreement among Nissan, Daimler and Ford.
The three auto giants have joined forces to share Research &
Development and investment for this next-generation, zero-emission
technology. Together
they will develop a common fuel cell stack and fuel cell system that
will be used in the launch of their own highly-differentiated and
separately-branded, fuel cell-powered cars, as early as 2017.
“First of all, large-scale market introduction costs have to be
further reduced. Together with Nissan and Ford, altogether we will be
able to reach a much higher production volume, and with that enormous
economies of scale,” said Prof. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of
Management of Daimler AG, Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars
Development.
The three companies have about 60 years of cumulative experience developing fuel cell cars.
These vehicles run on electricity generated from hydrogen and oxygen — and emit only water while driving.
Thanks to this global agreement, momentum for the roll out of a hydrogen refueling infrastructure is expected to grow.
“Having an alliance with Daimler and Nissan, we hope to accelerate
the development of this technology, bring it to the customers faster,
and I think it’s going to be mutually beneficial to all three
corporations,” said Raj Nair, Group Vice President, Global Product
Development at Ford Motor Company. Fuel
cell cars are considered complementary to today’s battery-electric
vehicles, such as Nissan LEAF, Daimler’s electric smart fortwo and
Ford’s Focus Electric.
“Generally speaking, battery electric vehicles are suitable for small
cars, and this fuel cell will provide more variety of vehicles, so
there is such a difference,” said Mitsuhiko Yamashita, Member of the
Board of Directors and Executive Vice President supervising Research and
Development
The three-way collaboration among Nissan, Daimler
and Ford will mean a bigger range of zero-emission powertrains on the
global market – a major advantage for consumers, automakers and
ultimately for the planet.
January 28 – Oppama – This is where it all starts: the stamping press
shop. In a single loud boom, 5,000 tons of weight stamp out two panels
simultaneously.
To explain more of the process and to guide us along the production
line is Oppama superintendent Takeo Yamamoto. He has worked at Oppama
more than 40 years.
“This is where they press each of the side panels for the body of a car,” says Yamamoto.
The stamped parts then move to the body shop, and what is called the
“mashiuchi” line. Here, parts are joined by the choreographed and
careful spot welding of a full line of fast-moving yellow robots.
“This is where we use robots to do all the welding. After the welding
has finished, they go to the ‘metal’ line, where the four doors and the
trunk – what are known as the cover parts – are welded to the body and
ready for the painting stage,” he says.
Yamamoto leads us through the depths of the factory, through dark and
narrow paths, filled with the smell of paint fumes and eventually the
paint shop.
This is the paint shop, where the first base layer of paint is
applied before the colors for the four models of cars they produce at
this plant.
Yamamoto says the painting process takes the longest of any of the
steps during production, which takes an average of eight hours. It is
critical that the paint dries properly before the vehicle moves on to
the inspection area, which explains the great length of the paint shop’s
enclosure.
All the vehicles, after they have been painted, come through this
area where there is a lot of light, so that employees can each paint job
for perfection. If there are marks or dings that might have affected
the paint job, they’ll have to be corrected later down the line.
In a tunnel of light, employees inspect the paint. Takamitsu Ono, who oversees the team, describes the process.
“This is the last section of the painting line where we check the
overall quality of the paintwork for imperfections,” says Ono. “Minor
things we can fix here. More major problems are handled in another
area.”
The painted husks head to the Assembly Line. At the chassis line,
workers move with the car, fitting each frame with the final components.
Gas-powered vehicles take gas-tanks; the 100% electric LEAF take batteries.
“Each person has an allocated amount of time to work on the car
according to the speed of the line,” says Yamamoto. “Generally, they can
complete their given role within one minute, before moving on to the
next car.”
As pioneer in flexible manufacturing, the Oppama plant, can accommodate both powertrains on a single line.
Further down, gas-powered cars receive engines; the LEAF vehicles, motors.
After the final tests, the process is complete. Eight hours, from
stamp to finish, the cars roll off the line, and are ready for the road.
That was the experience for media in a caravan of 20
Nissan Notes on the roads and highways from Nissan’s Yokohama
headquarters to Nagoya in central Japan.
That 300 km “Eco-Drive Challenge of Notes” underscored
the better fuel economy of the Note – about 40% greater than its
predecessor – with participants averaging more than 60 mpg along the
route.
Working on the HR12DDR engine at Aichi Kikai's Atsuta Plant
At the caravan’s Atsuta Plant destination, run by Nissan
subsidiary Aichi Kikai, the source of the eye-popping range is clear:
the HR12DDR, a 1.2-liter, 3-cylinder supercharger engine.
Small and compact, the engine features a high compression ratio of 13:1 and reduced friction to minimize CO2 emissions.
Koichi Sakairi, Manufacturing VP, Atsuta Plant
Manufacturing VP Koichi Sakairi says the success of the Note, the RJC 2013 Car of the Year, keeps the Atsuta plant in overdrive.
“For our company, starting production of the Note engine
was a big event for this fiscal year. Keeping in mind that this engine
had to be a success, we did whatever we could to make it happen.” said
Sakairi. “I am very happy to see customers appreciate this car very
much, as a consequence of our efforts.”
Since 1965, Aichi Kikai has made more than 27 million
engines and 20 million transmissions for a wide range of Nissan models,
including the Sunny, X-Trail, 350 Z, GT-R and Juke.
Many of those parts also go to Nissan models overseas.
On the second day of the Eco-Drive, the caravan was
bound for Yokohama, with instructions to drive normally, while snapping a
few photos along the way.
Engine senior editor Toshihiko Arai
The best mileage award for the roughly 600km roundtrip went to the two-man team of Holiday Auto which averaged 71 mpg.
“The cruising average was about 72 to 73 kph. The
vibration and tire noise became quiet at that range, so we tried to keep
the average speed around that,” said Holiday Auto photographer Masayuki
Inoue. “I didn’t get tired at all. We could drive easily and relax, in
terms of the size of the car and the engine. This is the kind of car
that even ordinary customers can drive in an eco-friendly way without
noticing it.”
But most journalists were surprised by their results.
“The mileage was exactly 30 kilometers per liter,” said
Engine senior editor Toshihiko Arai. “Honestly I didn’t think we’d reach
30. Even though it’s not a hybrid, we knew we would reach at least 25
km/l, and we wanted to exceed that. But fortunately, we reached 30.”
And with that, the caravan ended on a high Note, one
that will resonate throughout Japan as its global rollout continues to
overseas markets.
Jan. 23 – Oppama, Kanagawa - After making over 16 million cars, Nissan’s Oppama Plant welcomed its three-millionth visitor Tuesday, a half century since its first factory tour.
Ceremony to mark Oppama's 3 millionth visitor
A ceremony was held to mark the occasion, with a team from the
52-year-old manufacturing facility presenting certificates and gifts to
the visiting elementary school students.
It may not be Tokyo Disneyland, but Oppama hosts 40,000 elementary
school students yearly, organizing similar tours for government
officials, local residents and nearby companies.
Students looking at an automatic robot at work
“The big idea is that we would like a lot of people to become fans of
Nissan and to give back to the society,” said Takeo Yamamoto,
superintendent at the Oppama plant.
“We work by associating ourselves with the local community.”
For students, visiting a major Japanese manufacturer is a great out-of-classroom experience.
“I don’t have a car at home so by watching real cars being put
together in this factory, I can learn more about them,” said Kano
Gohara, a student at Saiwaicho Elementary School.
Students observing a trim line during the tour
On display is the vehicle assembly facility, which currently makes the Nissan LEAF, Juke, Cube and the Sylphy.
Each tour also includes a trip to the pier where cars are loaded for shipment.
“At school, they learn about cars. By coming to the factory
personally, I hope that the experience becomes knowledge and
understanding for the student,” said Gohara’s teacher Koji Akamatsu.
A visit to the Japanese “gemba”, or manufacturing site, not only
provides future generations with insight on the latest in car
production, but helps to share Nissan’s heritage, an evolving history
that this year will mark its 80th year.
Jan. 17 – Detroit, Mich. – This week the Nissan Resonance was
selected as winner of the EyesOn Design Award for Best Concept Vehicle.
The announcement came just hours after the unveiling of the D-pillar
design concept at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS)
held in Detroit. The Resonance concept was created under the guidance of Shiro
Nakamura, senior vice president and chief creative officer of Nissan
Motor Co., Ltd., and features an efficient, hybrid-electric drivetrain
that includes Nissan’s proprietary “one-motor, two-clutch”
system. That system combines a smaller displacement internal combustion
gasoline engine with an electric motor, lithium-ion battery and
advanced management system.
One of the premier awards in transportation design, the EyesOn Design
Awards honors the best production and concept cars making their North
American or worldwide debut at NAIAS. Winners are selected by a panel of
active and retired design heads of automotive companies, transportation
design chairs from top art schools, and designers from other fields.
Jan. 15 – Detroit – Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn made news
Monday at the North American International Auto Show with predictions of
self-driving cars by 2020, and comments on revving up the EV market.
Pure zero-emission vehicles are still something the CEO is bullish
on, despite some growing commentary that electric vehicles are over due
to lack of infrastructure, reliability and cost.
On Tuesday Nissan’s CEO spoke
further with the Global Media Center on the yen, Japanese relations with
China, and the year ahead.
Q1: What do you see as Nissan’s biggest opportunities in 2013?
Ghosn: We have a
lot of opportunity in 2013. I would say we have to resume a very
strong growth. Obviously we had in 2012 a reasonable growth.
Unfortunately it should have been much stronger than what we have seen.
But as you know we had some events that really were headwinds in front
of us – the relationship between China and Japan being the biggest one,
where our sales in China were handicapped by it.
In 2013 resuming growth in
China, developing our markets in Russia, particularly with the latest
investment we have done with AvtoVAZ, pushing also our sales in India,
the new plant in Brazil continuing to develop — so I’d say 2013 should
be a year where significant growth should continue.
Q2: Two
headwinds for Nissan have been the strong yen and China, but there are
signs of recovery in each area. How do you assess prospects?
Ghosn: Well I think yes, there are some good
winds in 2013 following these two obstacles. The yen is giving some
signs of little-by-little moving into more neutral territory. Obviously
88 (yen) to the dollar is better than 78 yen to the dollar, but frankly
I consider that unless we reach a 100 yen to the dollar ratio, we will
not be in neutral territory.
In China, yes, the situation is
getting better but we would like frankly a fundamental resolution of
this problem. China is the second largest economy in the world. Japan is
the third largest economy in the world. We cannot be in a situation
where any incident between the two countries can put us back in the
situation that we have known in September and October. Yes, it is a
little bit better, but frankly what we are hoping for, and lobbying for
also, is putting the past behind the two countries and really making a
kind of alliance between the two countries where the economic
relationship will take the center stage to the political relationship.
Q3: With the 2013 Nissan LEAF unveiled, how will this impact EV sales?
Ghosn: Look, I think everything we are doing is
positive for EV sales, but frankly it was predicted because we never had
the strategy by which we will assemble the LEAF and assemble the
batteries in Japan, and ship them all over the world. We knew that we
would need to localize the product to facilitate the expansion, and it
is taking place.
Building cars in the United
States is more efficient and less costly than building cars and shipping
cars from Japan. So that is one of the reasons for which we cut the
price for the consumer, because by making the battery in Tennessee and
assembling the car in Tennessee and doing the motor also in the United
States, it helped us to reduce the price of the car and make the
consumer benefit from it. The consumers are saying it is too expensive,
so we need to respond to these concerns to facilitate expansion. The
LEAF in 2012 – we have an expansion of our car by 22% globally. We sold
22% more LEAFs in 2012 than 2011. In the United States, it was
marginally up 1%.
In 2013 the expansion is going
to be much more significant both in the United States and globally.
Why? Because we are responding to consumers’ concerns. You know
consumers are saying it is too expensive, so we’re cutting the price.
Consumers say “Where do I charge my car?” We are lobbying for cities
and states to develop the charging infrastructure, not only in the
United States but globally. Consumers are worried about autonomy. We are
giving more reliable information about the autonomy. We’re going to a
device allowing it to charge in four hours, and this is a developing
“kaizen” approach.
This technology is a fundamental
technology for our industry. We have taken the leadership. We just
want to make sure that we are putting it mainstream.
Q4. This year marks the 80th
anniversary for Nissan Motor, and in that time the company has been
able to survive and even grow in challenging economic times. What
obstacles are left to climb?
Ghosn: We have many things to achieve. I am very glad that we will be celebrating our 80th
anniversary in good shape. This company, as you know, in 1999 saw a
near-death experience, but since then the transformation has been
spectacular thanks to the tens of thousands of employees who have
engaged into the revival of Nissan and made what Nissan is today. Are we
done? Certainly not, we have a lot of potential for growth.
We have a lot of potential to
make the company much stronger. We have a lot of potential to strengthen
the brand, to make the brand much more remarkable. I’m talking not only
about Nissan brand. I’m talking also about the Infiniti brand. Also, we
are going to bring back Datsun. But now we are doing it without a
handicap, we have no more handicap. We have reestablished the
fundamentals of the company and the fundamentals of the company are very
good.
Jan. 15 – Detroit – Nissan has an all-new booth that can be
experienced through sight, smell, sound and touch that is making its
debut at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
The new Nissan exhibit space features an amphitheater-style stage and soaring architectural elements.
A massive high-definition LED display is integrated in to the
exhibit’s dual-turntable stage, and an interactive “Innovation Wall
powered by Xbox Kinect™ technology communicates the brand story with
visitors.
The show stand also presents
unique Nissan scents and sounds, venturing into a realm of sensory
marketing usually assigned to luxury hotels and retailers.
“You can just feel that you are
part of something and you want to experience more, and wherever you go
there is something that can interest you and connect to you. The use of
scent, same as sound, same as music – the total package – is what
creates your opinion about how you feel about something. So scent is an
important element,” said Roel De-Vries, vice president, Global
Marketing.
Nissan chose Detroit, the first
major industry event of the year, to unveil the stand, which will appear
at major auto shows throughout the world, including Geneva in March.
Nissan aims to evoke the same brand experience around the globe including its own brand scent.
“It is a scent of green tea, and
when you smell it, when you are around here, it gives you this calming
feeling, relaxed feeling, when you are in this space. But it has some
spice and has seen some interest, so it makes you feel slightly elevated
but in a relaxed and calm way,” said De-Vries.
Nissan’s new auto show property
was months in development, and designers from George P. Johnson and
Nissan designed a brand expression that will continue to evolve.
“We looked at the brand as a
whole, and kind of distilled it down to this spectrum of product, all
the way from sustainability with the LEAF to performance with the GT-R
and the Z. We thought of it as quite a broad brand and wanted to create
something for an embrace for that. We came up for this idea of an
amphitheater,” said Edmund Sorrell, senior designer at George P.
Johnson.
Elements of the new stand may
make their way into other consumer sites, such as dealer showrooms and
major Nissan office locations.
Jan.
15 – Detroit – Nissan presented two all-new vehicles at the 2013 North
American International Auto Show Tuesday, the 2014 Nissan Versa Note and
the design concept Nissan Resonance.
The second generation of the Versa hatchback will go on sale at
Nissan North American dealers this summer. The list of advanced features
offered on the 5-passenger car includes a segment-first** Around View® Monitor, NissanConnectSM with Navigation System with Hands-Free Text Messaging Assistant and Active Grille Shutter. It is expected to deliver 40 miles per gallon highway fuel economy with the CVT transmission.
The Resonance concept, previewing the direction of future Nissan
crossovers, is being shown for the first time anywhere at the Detroit
show, and was created at Nissan Design America in San Diego, Calif.
Jan. 14 – Detroit – Infiniti unveiled its Q50 luxury sports sedan at the North American International Auto Show Monday, as the Detroit show kicked off to a packed crowd of media and industry.
President Johan de Nysschen said Infiniti is building a brand now present in 50 countries, and the new Q50 would crystallize future design, performance and technology.
“The unveiling of the all-new Infiniti Q50 has been extremely
well-received and this important new car is but a hint of the absolutely
fascinating products that lie in our future,” he said.
The Q50, which will replace the G37, will lead all future models in featuring just the Q badge, which de Nysschen says adds simplicity and consistency.
Ben Poore, vice president for
Infiniti Americas, says strong sales are expected for the Q50 in North
America after a great 2012 showing by the JX.
“From the Q50, I think, we’re going to see strong things immediately.
Even during the reveal we saw tremendous views in our small teaser video of the headlight, which to me is the entrance of the soul of this product,” Poore said.
“We had over 300,000 video views very quickly, so there’s strong
interest in where we’re going, and I think with the Q50, along with the
nomenclature change on all our products, which we’ll do for the 2014
model year, it really shows there’s a new Infiniti coming on.”
The Detroit show is expected to
punctuate Infiniti’s growing sales and market share, with key markets
such as China taking 2013 sales beyond the Big Top.
“The car is extremely easy to drive, a completely automatic car with
no shifting of gears. The steering is very soft with no problem
whatsoever. The mirrors are functional. The seats are very comfortable.
It is a new car,” said Mexico City LEAF taxi driver Cristóbal Reynoso.
“I think the Mexican people have very good acceptance with the LEAF. I
mean they are very proactive with electric cars, with green cars. They
are very proud to be part of this kind of initiative here in Mexico,”
said Alejandro Viveros, leader of the Zero-Emission Business Unit for
Nissan Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean
At the start of operation of the second plant, the number of employees will increase to 3,200 from the current 2,200.
