Nissan 2010 Annual Report Download - page 15

Micra/March
Entering the Next Phase Product Plan Performance
13Annual Report 2010NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
The Holistic Approach
Nissan has made remarkable cars throughout its history.
The question has always been how to link these great cars
to a great brand. The GT-R, for example, is an outstanding
vehicle that some people may not instantaneously associate
with the Nissan brand. That is why we considered it so vital
to associate Nissan LEAF—which people are already
recognizing as the first true mass-market EV—with the
Nissan brand.
We will launch at least three more zero-emission vehicles
besides Nissan LEAF in the next few years, so we will also
need to link these EVs to the Nissan brand. Beyond EVs, we
need to demonstrate our commitment to being the market
leader in low CO2 emissions and good fuel economy. We
will do that with “PURE DRIVE,” a collection of segment-
appropriate technologies for lowering the consumer’s CO2
footprint. Whether you’re earning $10,000 or $100,000 a
year, a family of six or a single person, a long-range
commuter or urban warrior, we will offer you the best CO2
performance at an affordable price for that respective
segment.
We are agnostic in our approach to the technologies
available. Not every Nissan will be an EV. In some cases, it
makes more sense to use a clean diesel. In others, hybrids
may be the way to go. However, on a small, affordable car
like the new V platform, our solution is a three-cylinder
gasoline engine with a supercharger and idle stop that
delivers a leading level of 95 grams of CO2.
Expansion of Global Compact Cars
Our V-platform program was designed to produce
affordable vehicles in emerging countries. We will
manufacture V-platform vehicles in Thailand, China, India
and Mexico, which gives us a good cost base and puts us
right next to customers in the big growth markets.
We will manufacture three body types on this platform
and plan to sell approximately one million units at full launch.
This will represent a significant portion of Nissan’s global
volume.
Putting Smart Working Vehicles on the Road
Our LCVs—light commercial vehicles—are a core Nissan
product. In fiscal year 2002, our business plan was to sell
163,000 units, but this year we will sell over 700,000 of
them. These products are profitable and fortunately were
not overly affected by the crisis. Our ambition is to take the
LCV portfolio to over a million units. We clearly need new
models to achieve this goal, and there are still many markets
where we have no LCV presence. The most obvious market
is the United States. This autumn we will fix that when we
introduce the new NV series—including the NV1500,
NV2500 and NV3500—all designed specifically for the U.S.
customer.