Automobile nissan
Nissan Motor Company, Ltd, shortened to Nissan is a multinational
automaker headquartered in Japan. It was formerly a core member
of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its
restructuring under Carlos Ghosn (CEO).
It formerly marketed vehicles under the "Datsun" brand
name and is one of the largest car manufacturers. The company's
main offices are located in the Ginza area of Ch, Tokyo. In 1999,
Nissan entered an alliance with Renault S.A. of France, which
owns 44.4% of Nissan as of 2008. Nissan is among the top three
Asian (also known as the Japanese Big 3 Automakers) rivals of
the "Big Three" in the U.S. Currently they are the third
largest Japanese car manufacturer. It also manufactures the Infiniti
luxury brand.
The Nissan VQ engines, of V6 configuration, have featured among
Ward's 10 Best Engines for 14 straight years, since the award's
inception. For the truck and bus maker "Nissan Diesel,"
it is a separate company from Nissan Motors, please see UD instead.
Automotive products
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.
They 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 kei cars, 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
Nissan will launch electric cars in Europe in 2010 with different
business models in different countries.
"It would be good date for both for Renault and Nissan"
to introduce mass-market electric cars, Carlos Ghosn told at the
Tokyo Motor Show on Wednesday October 24, 2007.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nissan is developing a plug-in hybrid vehicle that could hit the
market after the debut of its electric cars in 2010.
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.
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. |