The Spies had the distinct pleasure of driving virtually every car Nissan and Infiniti produces worldwide a few weeks ago in San Francisco.
Check out all the great photos and be sure do give us your opinions in our blogs below of the cars and whether you see a model that Nissan/Infiniti should bring stateside.
We especially liked the Primera, Cube and Teana.
More info below...
Nissan Displays Global Products, Capabilities
SAN FRANCISCO-Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. held a three-week media program to brief hundreds of journalists from around the world on the company’s global presence and growth plans, and to give them opportunities to test drive dozens of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles now on sale in 190 countries.
“The Nissan 360 program is the first time we have shown the breadth and depth of our global products and technology in one place at one time,’’ said Simon Sproule, Vice President, Global Communications and Investor Relations. “It’s designed to familiarize nearly 500 media and analysts with our global operations, as well as giving an insight to the future direction of the company.”
Vehicles available for driving range in size from the full-size Nissan Titan pickup truck, on sale in the United States, to the Japanese market Moco minicar. Right-hand and left-hand drive, gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles will be available for driving, along with a prototype fuel-cell powered X-TRAIL sport-utility vehicle. Nearly two dozen concept, prototype, motorsports and heritage vehicles from around the world will be on display.
Since the three-year Nissan Revival Plan, which was launched in April 2000, Nissan has introduced dozens of all-new vehicles worldwide, including the Titan and Infiniti FX in the United States, the Primera and Micra in Europe, the Cube subcompact car in Japan and globally, the 350Z / Fairlady Z, the sixth generation of the legendary Z car.
Nissan recently announced it would begin global sales of the U.S.-market Murano, starting this fall in Japan. Further ahead, the next generation of the iconic Cube compact car, currently only sold in Japan, will be engineered to be sold globally. In addition, Infiniti-brand luxury vehicles, which have been sold exclusively in the North America since 1989, will expand first into South Korea and then globally over the next several years.
In April 2005, Nissan will embark on three-year plan called Nissan Value-Up. Unlike the NRP and NISSAN 180, which were aimed at recovery and creating a base for sustained profitability, Nissan Value-Up is focused on profitable, global growth. Details include:
· Nissan is committed to increasing global annual sales to 4.2 million vehicles from 3.06 million for the year ending March 31, 2004, maintaining top-level operating profit margins and attaining at least a 20 percent return on invested capital.
· Twenty-eight all-new Nissan and Infiniti models will be launched worldwide, including 10 in the Middle East.
· Infiniti will be launched globally as a tier-one luxury brand.
· Nissan will expand its manufacturing bases in Thailand and Egypt
Further details of Nissan Value-Up will be announced later.
