Official

Nissan: we'll sell 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles by 2016 (and plug-in hybrids, too)

In 2009, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn stuck out his neck on electric vehicles when he said that he expects them to make up 10 percent of the new car market by 2020. A decade is a lot longer than ten years in the automotive industry, but Nissan remains confident in EV technology, as we can see in the Nissan Green Program 2016 it announced today.

Called a "mid-term environmental plan," the Green Program shares with us Nissan's big plans it hopes to reach by the end of fiscal year 2016. The biggest is to be the top seller of zero-emission vehicles with "cumulative sales of 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles across the Renault-Nissan Alliance." Aside from the Leaf and other EVs, this includes "development of an all-new fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) together with strategic partner, Daimler." Nissan recently said its fuel stack is the "world's best."

The other tent poles in the Green Program are a 35 percent increase in corporate average fuel economy compared with 2005 levels; 20 percent decrease in corporate CO2 emission (again compared to 2005 levels); and to increase the amount of recycled materials to 25 percent.

The 35 percent average fuel economy increase will be met, in part, by two new vehicles: a front-wheel drive hybrid model (the Altima hybrid replacement?) and a "plug-in hybrid model based on Nissan's unique technology." Looks like Ghosn is confident in more than zero emission vehicles.
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Nissan Announces New Mid-Term Environmental Plan

YOKOHAMA, Japan, October 24, 2011/PRNewswire/ --

- 70% of annual research and advanced engineering budget on environmental technologies -

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced its new six-year environmental plan, Nissan Green Program 2016 (NGP 2016). This new plan will focus on three areas: reduction of carbon footprint, shift to renewable energy and an increase in the diversity of resources used by Nissan.

Nissan Green Program 2016, the company's third environmental mid-term plan, aims to deliver the following by the end of fiscal year 2016:

- No.1 in Zero-Emission Vehicles: cumulative sales of 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles across the Renault-Nissan Alliance
- Leading fuel efficiency: 35% fuel economy improvement compared with 2005 on a corporate average for all Nissan vehicles sold in Japan, China, Europe and the United States
- Leading low corporate carbon footprint: 20% reduction per vehicle of CO2 emission of corporate activities compared with 2005
- Leading closed-loop recycling: raise the usage rate of recycled materials to 25%

"More consumers are demanding products in line with their values, including cars and trucks with a lower carbon footprint. At the same time, we are using technology to make our factories greener and more efficient," said Nissan President and Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn. "Nissan wants to be part of the solution toward a sustainable society - for the sake of the planet and as a significant competitive advantage and a strategic differentiator in the global manufacturing sector."

NGP2016 represents the pillar of sustainability in Nissan's Blue Citizenship, the company's strategic platform covering the area of corporate social responsibility. Blue Citizenship focuses on three areas: Sustainability, Mobility and Community. Today's announcement of NGP 2016 is the first of many corporate initiatives under Blue Citizenship.

Detailed actions under NGP 2016 include:

1) No.1 in Zero-Emission Vehicles: cumulative sales of 1.5 million units of zero-emission vehicles by 2016 across the Renault-Nissan Alliance. On behalf of the Alliance, Nissan will lead the development of an all-new fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) together with strategic partner, Daimler.

2) Leading Fuel Efficiency: 35% fuel economy improvement compared with 2005 on a corporate average by launching products delivering class-leading fuel efficiency across a wide range of segments in Japan, China, Europe and the United States such as:


- An all-new front-wheel drive hybrid model
- An all-new plug-in hybrid model based on Nissan's unique technology
- Introducing a next-generation continuously variable transmission (CVT) and reach 20 million units of cumulative CVT production since Nissan's first launch in 1992

3) Leading low corporate carbon footprint

Reduce CO2 emissions corresponding to corporate activities by 20% per vehicle compared with 2005 through:


- Widening the scope of measurable objectives, including logistics, offices, and dealerships in addition to production sites
- Introduction of renewable energy sources for manufacturing and related facilities

4) Leading closed-loop recycling through being the first in the auto industry to set a recycling objective and adopt a comprehensive closed-loop recycling scheme, including steel, aluminum and plastic. Highlights include:

- Achieve a recycled resource usage rate of 25% by 2016
- Apply recycled materials from production waste or end-of-life vehicles and parts into new vehicles
- Reduce consumption of rare earth elements

Details of Nissan Green Program 2016

http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/ENVIRONMENT/APPROACH/GREENPROGRAM

About Nissan Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 248,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4.1 million vehicles in 2010, generating revenue of 8.77 trillion yen ($102.37 billion US). With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of 64 models under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. A pioneer in zero-emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades, including the prestigious 2011 European Car of the Year award and 2011 World Car of the Year.

For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at

http://www.nissan-global.com/EN

http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/IR (For IR)

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