History of Nissan Motors - Part 5

Leadership

Presidents and Chief Executive Officers of Nissan:

• 1933-1939 Yoshisuke Aikawa
• 1939-1942 Masasuke Murakami
• 1942-1944 Genshichi Asahara
• 1944-1945 Haruto Kudo
• 1945 Takeshi Murayama
• 1945-1947 Souji Yamamoto
• 1947-1951 Taichi Minoura
• 1951-1957 Genshichi Asahara
• 1957-1973 Katsuji Kawamata
• 1973-1977 Tadahiro Iwakoshi
• 1977-1985 Takashi Ishihara
• 1985-1992 Yutaka Kume
• 1992-1996 Yoshifume Tsuji
• 1996-2000 Yoshikazu Hanawa
• 2000-present Carlos Ghosn

Products

Automotive products

Main articles: List of Nissan vehicles and List of Nissan engines.

Nissan has produced an extensive range of mainstream cars and trucks, initially for domestic consumption but exported around the world since the 1950s. There was a major strike in 1953.

It also produced several memorable sports cars, including the Datsun Fairlady 1500, 1600 and 2000 Roadsters, the Z-car, an affordable sports car originally introduced in 1969; and the GT-R, a powerful all-wheel-drive sports coupe.

In 1985, Nissan created a tuning division, NISMO, for competition and performance development of such cars.Nismo's latest model is the 350Z LM.

The recently launched mid-sized Nissan Navara truck has 175 bhp (130 kW).

Until 1982, Nissan automobiles in most export markets were sold under the Datsun brand. Since 1989, Nissan has sold its luxury models in North America under the Infiniti brand.

Nissan also sells a small range of keicars, mainly as a joint venture with other Japanese manufacturers like Suzuki or Mitsubishi. Nissan does not develop these cars. Nissan also has shared model development of Japanese domestic cars with other manufacturers, particularly Mazda, Subaru, Suzuki and Isuzu.

In China, Nissan produces cars in association with the Dongfeng Motor Group including the 2006 Nissan Livina Geniss. This is the first in the range of a new worldwide family of medium sized cars and is to make its world debut at the Guangzhou International Motor Show.

Nissan launches Qashqai SUV in South Africa, along with their new motorsport Qashqai Car Games.

Electric vehicles

Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Nissan Motor, which is 44% owned by Renault, plans to start selling electric cars in 2012 as the company anticipates demand from city drivers. "It would be good date for both for Renault and Nissan" to introduce mass-market electric cars, Ghosn told a group of journalists at the Tokyo Motor Show on Wednesday October 24, 2007.^[16][17]

Renault-Nissan Motors alliance is in the Advisory Council of the PHEV Research Center.

Nissan Motor and Robert Bosch GmbH are in talks to form a comprehensive alliance in hybrid systems and parts.^[18]

When Nissan launches its new line of electrical vehicles in America in 2010, it will initially target fleet buyers, which can provide their own charging stations. "It will be a real business," says Tom Lane, Nissan's global product-planning chief, "not just a way to sell 200 cars in California." He expects sales to retail buyers to begin in 2012, at a price of around $25,000. ^[19]

Nissan is also hedging its bets by developing both a "parallel hybrid" system (akin to that found in the Toyota Prius) and a plug-in "series hybrid" similar to the Chevy Volt. But it favours the all-electric approach, even though it will be a tough sell, says Mr Lane. As for Mr Ghosn, he has no doubts. "We must have zero-emission vehicles," he says. "Nothing else will prevent the world from exploding." ^[19]

Nissan Motor Company, Ltd. aims to profit from the next generation of plug-in hybrid vehicles. In April, the company launched a joint venture with NEC Corporation and its subsidiary, NEC TOKIN Corporation, to develop and mass produce advanced lithium-ion batteries. On May 19, the new company, called Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC), began full operations. The new company will invest $114.6 million over a three-year period in a manufacturing facility that will start producing 13,000 batteries per year in 2009. At full capacity, the plant will manufacture 65,000 batteries per year. ^[20]

The batteries employ a compact laminated configuration with lithium-manganese electrodes, which NEC TOKIN will manufacture at a separate facility through an additional investment of $105.1 million over the next three years. AESC intends to install the batteries in electric forklifts next year, and Nissan plans to use the batteries in both a hybrid and an all-electric vehicle starting in 2010. Nissan claims that the batteries deliver twice as much power as the nickel-metal hydride batteries used in today's hybrid vehicles. In field tests exceeding 60,000 miles (97,000 km), the batteries have demonstrated high performance without any safety problems, according to the company. ^[21]

In January 2008, Hiro Nakamura, Nissan's global design director stated that the Nissan Cube will be coming to the U.S. market as the Nissan Denki Cube.Making its debut at the March 2008 New York International Auto Show, the U.S.-bound Cube is a plug-in hybrid that will get 37 mpg–U.S. (6.36 L/100 km / 44.4 mpg–imp) and will be equipped with "e-4WD", which includes an electric motor operating (when demand dictates) alongside the gasoline engine. The Nissan’s Denki Cube's U.S. release is scheduled to occur in early 2009. ^[22]

Nissan plans a production hybrid electric vehicle to be introduced in 2010, not based on any current Nissan model. Nissan's original hybrid-electric delivered two breakthrough technologies a high-performance rear- wheel-drive hybrid system and a parallel-power-train hybrid system. The hybrid employs Nissan's own originally developed hybrid technology and its first rear-wheel-drive hybrid power-train ^[23].

Nissan is developing a plug-in hybrid vehicle that could hit the market after the debut of its electric cars in 2010.^[24]

Carlos Ghosn, said that the French-Japanese partnership will supply the state of Oregon with electric cars starting late in 2010 the latest in a series of agreements aimed at encouraging demand for the ultra-clean vehicles. The Renault-Nissan alliance formed a similar deal with Tennessee earlier this year to establish the conditions to encourage the use of electric cars in the central part of the state where Nissan has its U.S. headquarters. The alliance also has concluded accords with Israel, Portugal, Denmark, Spain, France and a prefecture in Japan^[25] .

Nissan Nuvu

Nissan Nuvu is a compact all-electric city car with 2+1 seating, with solar panels shaped like tree leaves on the roof that channel the sun's power through a "tree trunk" conduit in the center of the vehicle. It can hit about 75 mph (121 km/h) and travel up to about 80 miles (130 km) on a electric charge^{[26] [27]} .