Renault-Nissan Alliance Logo
Source: nissannews.com
Friday, September 28, 2012
Nissan: VIDEO REPORT: Onsite at Road Atlanta with DeltaWing Drivers, Designer
This release contains: 1 Related Document, 20 Photos, 2 Videos
Source: nissannews.com
ATLANTA, Ga. – Nissan DeltaWing is coming back to finish what it started. The fan favorite was knocked off course at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The resulting damage forced the car to retire from the race. But the Nissan team rebuilt the car.
Now, engineers are testing it at the Road Atlanta track, site of the U.S. Petit Le Mans. The event is at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga., on Oct. 20, and covers a maximum of 1,000 miles or 10 hours, whichever comes first. This will be the car's first race in the United States.
"Our goal for the race is to do what we failed to do at Le Mans, which is finish. That is 1,000 miles, 1600 kilometers, and that's always a grueling test," said Ben Bowlby, the car's designer.
Nissan's DeltaWing is ground-breaking in the racing world. It is half the weight, horsepower and aerodynamic drag of typical race cars. This means it burns less fuel and requires fewer tire changes.
One of the drivers for Petit Le Mans, Lucas Ordoñez, said, "we are surprisingly fast. We are on the pace of LMP2 cars at the moment. I am learning a lot and it is fun to be here." Ordoñez is Nissan's original GT Academy champion. The other driver, Gunnar Jeannette, hopes more American fans will come to cheer them on because it's easier to get to than Le Mans."Nissan DeltaWing is already kind of a fan favorite, so the more people we can get on our side the better."
Many thought DeltaWing could never compete at Le Mans. It did. And, now Nissan's DeltaWing team is out to prove it can qualify, run fast, compete, and complete an endurance race.
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Source: nissannews.com
Nissan: [No Sound] Onsite at Road Atlanta with DeltaWing Drivers, Designer
ATLANTA, Ga. (Sept. 28, 2012) – Nissan DeltaWing is coming back to finish what it started. The fan favorite was knocked off course at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The resulting damage forced the car to retire from the race. But the Nissan team rebuilt the car.
Source: nissannews.com
Source: nissannews.com
Nissan: Onsite at Road Atlanta with DeltaWing Drivers, Designer
ATLANTA, Ga. (Sept. 28, 2012) – Nissan DeltaWing is coming back to finish what it started. The fan favorite was knocked off course at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The resulting damage forced the car to retire from the race. But the Nissan team rebuilt the car.
Source: nissannews.com
Source: nissannews.com
Nissan: Daimler and Renault-Nissan Expand Scope of Collaboration
This release contains: 1 Related Document, 1 Photo
Source: nissannews.com
- Daimler and Renault-Nissan Alliance partner on fuel-efficient engines and transmissions
- Original projects remain on track as partnership expands globally
PARIS - Daimler and the Renault-Nissan Alliance are collaborating on two new projects to accelerate development of fuel-efficient powertrains.
Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn and Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche confirmed the new projects Friday in an annual media update about the Franco-Japanese-German partnership.
The new engine project is a jointly developed 4-cylinder gasoline engine family co-led by Renault and Daimler. The direct-injection turbocharged engine will feature state-of-the-art technology in a compact package. It targets a significant improvement in fuel economy as well as low emissions.
The companies expect to jointly manufacture the new engines. They will debut in Daimler and Renault and Nissan vehicles in 2016.
In the new transmission project Daimler grants Nissan a license to manufacture automatic transmissions using Daimler´s latest transmission technology for Nissan and Infiniti vehicles starting in 2016.
Nissan subsidiary Jatco is planning to manufacture these newly licensed gearboxes in Mexico. The new transmission will feature "start and stop" and "park and shift by wire" technologies.
"These new components demonstrate how broadly and rapidly our collaboration is proliferating - while all the time remaining rooted in specific projects that give tangible benefits to our customers," Ghosn said. "The relationship is expanding organically and logically."
"The collaboration achieved a milestone this year, with the first vehicles and engines from the partnership now on the roads," Zetsche said. "Furthermore, all our engineers are keeping an open mind, looking with fresh eyes at all potential new areas of collaboration."
Ghosn and Zetsche confirmed that all of the original "pillar projects" announced in 2010 have been accomplished or are on track. The companies are also moving forward with discussions on fuel-cell vehicle powertrains, and they are working on a cross-supply program for battery and powertrain components of zero-emission versions of their small cars.
ABOUT THE RENAULT-NISSAN ALLIANCE
The Renault-Nissan Alliance is a strategic partnership between Paris-based Renault and Yokohama, Japan-based Nissan, which sell one in 10 cars worldwide. Renault and Nissan have been strategic partners since 1999 and sold 8.03 million cars in nearly 200 countries in 2011. The Alliance operates strategic collaborations with numerous automakers, including Germany's Daimler, China's Dong Feng and regional manufacturers such as Ashok Leyland in India.
About Daimler
Daimler AG is one of the world's most successful automotive companies. With its divisions Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services, the Daimler Group is one of the biggest producers of premium cars and the world's biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles with a global reach. Daimler Financial Services provides financing, leasing, fleet management, insurance and innovative mobility services. The company's founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, made history with the invention of the automobile in the year 1886. As a pioneer of automotive engineering, Daimler continues to shape the future of mobility today: The Group's focus is on innovative and green technologies as well as on safe and superior automobiles that appeal to and fascinate its customers. For many years now, Daimler has been investing continually in the development of alternative drive systems with the goal of making emission-free driving possible in the long term. So in addition to vehicles with hybrid drive, Daimler now has the broadest range of locally emission-free electric vehicles powered by batteries and fuel cells. This is just one example of how Daimler willingly accepts the challenge of meeting its responsibility towards society and the environment. Daimler sells its vehicles and services in nearly all the countries of the world and has production facilities on five continents. Its current brand portfolio includes, in addition to the world's most valuable premium automotive brand, Mercedes-Benz, the brands smart, Maybach, Freightliner, Western Star, BharatBenz, Fuso, Setra and Thomas Built Buses. The company is listed on the stock exchanges of Frankfurt and Stuttgart (stock exchange symbol DAI). In 2011, the Group sold 2.1 million vehicles and employed a workforce of more than 271,000 people; revenue totaled €106.5 billion and EBIT amounted to €8.8 billion.
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Source: nissannews.com
Nissan: Nissan DeltaWing: The Next Chapter
This release contains: 1 Related Document, 2 Photos
Source: nissannews.com
PARIS – There's nothing quite like the Nissan DeltaWing anywhere else at the Paris motor show.
Black with a nose that swoops to a narrow point, the dramatic lines part of a design that enables this race car to run with half the fuel of its competitors.
The aim of the DeltaWing is to prove that fast can be frugal.
The car is back in France after competing at Le Mans earlier this year.
All went well for the Nissan DeltaWing for the first six hours of the 24 hour endurance race.
The car's startling appearance meant the innovation was clear to see, and it won the hearts of fans.
But then a disaster. A collision knocked the team out.
That wasn't the end of the Nissan DeltaWing story.
The car will be heading to the Petit Le Mans in the United States to race again.
"One of the things I was joking about was when I was asked what we 've done to avoid being crashed into again by one of the cars," said Ben Bowlby, designer of the Nissan DeltaWing.
"I said, to be honest, I don't think anyone wants to be the second person to knock the DeltaWing out of a race because the first guys got such a bad rap for it."
Nissan is not just challenging assumptions about race car design, but about who should drive them too.
In Paris on the company's stand gamers were trying their luck at the GT Academy, and for the best, to win the opportunity to turn computer game fantasy into race track reality.
"Five years ago nobody thought you could take a PlayStation gamer and make them into a racing driver," said Darren Cox, general manager of Nissan in Europe.
"Today we're at the Paris motor show and as you can see there are people trying out on our GT Academy pods here because we proved it could be done."
Once the fans have had the chance to see the Nissan DeltaWing in Paris it will be time for the next chapter in the DeltaWing story to begin.
The circuit for the race in the United States is twistier, new challenges.
But the hope is this time the car will get to the finish and continue to show that fuel efficiency has a place in motorsport.
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Source: nissannews.com
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Nissan: Nissan CEO on Euro Crisis
This release contains: 1 Related Document, 1 Photo
Source: nissannews.com
PARIS – Speaking at the Paris motor show Nissan's CEO Carlos Ghosn said the global market for cars is still good despite the crisis in Europe. He said Nissan's priority in Europe is to gain market share.
Q1) It's very glitzy in the motor show venue, but it is not so nice out there. What is your assessment of where Europe is?
Carlos Ghosn, CEO: I don't think the Paris motor show is for France, or for Europe. It's a global motor show so you have people coming from all over the world to see what European car makers, or car makers involved in Europe have to offer.
And let's not forget the global market for cars is still very good. We are now on a trend of five percent growth this year. But you recognize that within this plus five percent globally, there is a minus eight percent contribution from Europe. So Europe is really in bad shape but within an industry and a global market which is in good shape.
So yes, there is some kind of bitterness and sorrow and fear about the European market but fortunately for us still the global market is growing.
Q2) And what can Nissan do to mitigate the problems in the Eurozone?
Carlos Ghosn, CEO: Nissan needs to continue to position itself in Europe. I think pursuing the objective of becoming the number one Asian brand in Europe is something that our team is doing.
I'm supporting them as much as I can because once and for all we need to take position in the main market and show that Nissan has the best offer and the best performance. That's number one.
But second, when the market goes down by eight percent there's not a lot you can do to overcome that. So the best way to mitigate it is to really enhance our efforts in markets which are much more strong like in China, or Russia or South East Asia or the Middle East to compensate for what we are losing in Europe.
The European market is going to be bad for two to three years. We know that. We just need our team to be strong, to compete as much as they can, gaining market share, positioning the brand.
And at the same time compensating for the losses by asking other markets which are in a much better situation to give a higher contribution.
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Source: nissannews.com
Nissan: Nissan TeRRA Stars at the Paris Motor Show 2012
This release contains: 1 Related Document
Source: nissannews.com
- Innovation and excitement - Nissan brings its brand message to life at the Paris Motor Show
- TeRRA fuel cell electric vehicle takes center stage after global unveil
- Nissan Executive Vice President Andy Palmer and Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura lead the presentation of Nissan's vision of a Zero Emission future
- Images and video showing the Nissan Paris Motor Show press conference now live
PARIS – Speaking to a packed audience at the Paris Motor Show today, Nissan Executive Vice President Andy Palmer led the global unveil of the TeRRA FCEV concept.
A pioneering bionic screen technology was used as part of the media conference revealing the TeRRA concept in dramatic style. Ben Bowlby, the creator of the innovative Nissan DeltaWing race car joined Andy Palmer on stage during the Nissan press conference, explaining how Nissan's innovative spirit helped him to make his motorsport vision become a reality.
Among an array of models on display, the final production Juke NISMO appears alongside several special versions including the Juke with Ministry of Sound and Qashqai 360, as well as a revised version of the 370Z.
To view the full Nissan Paris Motor Show digital press kit, visit www.nissanparis2012.com.
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Source: nissannews.com
Nissan: Nissan Americas Supports Partnership with Habitat for Humanity with $1.5 Million Donation
Partnership promotes sustainable construction and complements Nissan's newly announced global donation to Habitat for Humanity International
This release contains: 1 Related Document
Source: nissannews.com
This release contains: 1 Related Document
FRANKLIN, Tenn. - Over the past seven years, Nissan Americas has provided $8 million to Habitat for Humanity International in support of its efforts to build affordable, sustainable homes in partnership with families in need of decent housing. Today Nissan Americas announced a $1.5 million donation to expand its longstanding partnership with Habitat for Humanity in the Americas. Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., based in Yokohama, Japan, today also announced a new global partnership that will invest $1 million in Habitat building projects in India, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.
"Nissan has been working with Habitat in the Americas for many years, building energy-efficient homes with dozens of families," said Bill Krueger, vice chairman, Nissan Americas. "Now that Nissan has identified Habitat as a global partner, we will have a broader platform through which we can give back to the communities where our customers, dealers and employees live. Our support will help to address growing social concerns about the lack of affordable housing for people everywhere."
"We are so grateful for Nissan's dedication and commitment to affordable, sustainable housing," said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. "The broad support that Nissan provides - including funding and product donations and employee-dealer engagement - makes it possible for us to help families around the world build the foundation for a better life."
In the Americas, Nissan will fund the construction of homes in Arizona, California, Michigan, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Toronto, Canada. The company is funding grants and providing Nissan vehicles to 10 Habitat affiliates that make commitments to sustainable construction practices. Habitat will use a portion of Nissan's donation to conduct sustainability "summits" for Habitat affiliates and their local communities.
Nissan funding also will support the annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Haiti in November. Six Nissan employees will join 500 international volunteers to help build 100 Habitat homes in partnership with Haitian families during the seven-day project.
Nissan will continue to invite all its stakeholders to participate in the partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Point-of-sale materials in dealerships and communications to consumers will convey information about Habitat activities and engagement opportunities. Consumers who visit the Nissanusa.com website can click through to Habitat's site, habitat.org, to make donations or to find volunteer opportunities across the United States.
Nissan North America, a recipient of the U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence award, is committed to sustainability. Nissan-sponsored Habitat homes will be equipped with many "green-living" features, including low-flowing plumbing fixtures, programmable thermostats, energy-efficient fluorescent lighting, high-performance windows and ENERGY STAR® appliances.
Nissan's partnership with Habitat dates to 2005, following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Nissan donated 50 Nissan Titan trucks to assist Habitat's response efforts in the Gulf Coast and mobilized employees to assist in home building. Since 2006, Nissan employees have helped to build more than 40 homes across the United States. To date, Nissan's employees have logged more than 70,000 volunteer hours building homes with Habitat for Humanity.
About Nissan Americas
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in 2010, 2011 and 2012 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com
and www.InfinitiUSA.com.
About Nissan
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest Japanese automotive company by volume, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is an integral pillar of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 248,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4.6 million vehicles in 2011. With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of fuel-efficient and low-emissions vehicles 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.
For more information on our products, services and commitment to Sustainable Mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.
Blue Citizenship is the commitment of Nissan Motor Company to realize our vision of Enriching People's Lives. We commit to our customers, employees, shareholders and the communities where we do business to deliver engaging, valuable and sustainable mobility for all. Through our business activities, we aim to create economic value and to actively contribute toward the development of a sustainable society.
About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International is a global nonprofit Christian housing organization that seeks to put God's love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. Since 1976, Habitat has served more than 500,000 families by welcoming people of all races, religions and nationalities to construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. For more information, to donate or to volunteer, please visit Habitat.org, follow us at www.facebook.com/habitat or at www.twitter.com/habitat_org or join Habitat's blog community at www.habitat.org/blog.
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Contacts:
Vicki Smith
Nissan Americas
615-594-7198
vicki.smith@nissan-usa.com
Danielle Turnage
Habitat for Humanity International
404-420-6710
dturnage@habitat.org
Source: nissannews.com
Nissan: Carlos Ghosn & Dieter Zetsche Live from Paris
This release contains: 1 Related Document, 1 Photo
Source: nissannews.com
PARIS – Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn and Daimler Chairman Dieter Zetsche will provide an annual update and take questions from the media on the expanding collaboration between Renault, Nissan and Daimler.
Join us on September 28 at 5:30 a.m. ET -- 11:30 a.m. Central European Time (CET) -- to watch the press conference live.
View the press conference here: http://blog.nissan-global.com/EN/?p=6171
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Source: nissannews.com
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Nissan: Renezeder Rushes Past the 100-Win Milestone
This release contains: 2 Related Documents, 2 Photos
Source: nissannews.com
LAKE FOREST, Calif. – In just under 14 complete seasons of racing, Carl Renezeder has been building a short-course off-road racing legacy that will highlight the history books forever. This past weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he brought his win record full circle by earning his 100th win in the same place he earned his first one back in 1999. And in classic Renezeder fashion, he went on to win numbers 101 and 102 before the weekend was over.
"Outstanding! He's back." Those words were an email response from Ron Stukenberg of Nissan North America, and there couldn't have been a more accurate reaction to the weekend. The Renezeder of old seemed to have slipped into the shadows in the first half of the 2012 season, where he experienced some of the worst results of his short-course career. The 100-win milestone appeared to be a jinx on the season, but in the true fashion of an eight-time champion, Renezeder found the magic and emerged into the spotlight in Vegas.
"I did not want that race to end," commented Renezeder over the radio after career win number 101, which was the Friday night Pro-2 race. The truck was flawless and the track suited the set up perfectly. Renezeder started the race from the third spot after qualifying second with a four-truck invert. By the time he hit the tabletop jump out of turn one on lap one he took the lead and never looked back. After the race he continued, "I was kind of hoping that someone would catch me and make it a battle, but it's so much fun driving a truck like that, it doesn't matter if you're battling ten trucks or out there on your own. There's no other feeling like it."
The 100th win was just as uneventful as the 101st - he grabbed the lead on lap three and drove a flawless race to the checkered flag. It was actually win number 102 that left fans, drivers, crew, sponsors - just about everyone in attendance - shaking their heads in admiration of an amazing drive put together by an amazing driver.
It was the last race on the docket for the weekend, and Renezeder was lined up in seventh place with the eight-truck inversion. He had a lot of work ahead of him on a track that hadn't proven to have a lot of places to pass. Renezeder seemed to prove the laws of physics wrong on several occasions, working his way around four trucks in four different places before the halfway point of the race. At the restart of the mandatory yellow, he had just Brian Deegan and Robert Naughton between him and another mark in the win column. Again, he made it look like a driving clinic, passing both drivers in four laps, leading the final two laps of the race for a well-deserved victory.
"The truck was flawless. You guys are awesome," commented Renezeder, with a distinct mark of awe in his voice, on his way to victory lane for the third and final time of the weekend. He wasn't able to make the clean sweep when the right front hub on the Pro-4 sheered off on lap three of Saturday night's race. But that didn't dampen any spirits.
A milestone was accomplished, celebrated and then quickly surpassed, which is exactly how anyone who knows Renezeder would expect it to happen. While a 100th win is a rare and amazing accomplishment, it's simply a marker on the timeline of an incredibly prolific career, one that is far from over. Renezeder is hungrier than ever for more wins, more battles, more innovation and more championships. The date and place were written on the bottom of the trophy, and some time was taken to reminisce about the 99 wins that proceeded that incredible moment, then the line was drawn in the dirt and the team went back to work. It's the formula of a champion - one that the off-road industry is so incredibly lucky to call its own.
Summary of results for Carl Renezeder at Las Vegas Motor Speedway - N Las Vegas, Nevada - September 21-22, 2012:
Pro-2: Rnd 13 - Qualifying: 2nd, Race: 1st; Rnd 14 - Qualifying; 2nd, Race: 1st
Pro-4: Rnd 13 - Qualifying: 1st, Race: 1st; Rnd 14 - Qualifying: 1st, Race: 11th (broke)
Follow the team and 8x champ Carl Renezeder all season:
http://www.facebook.com/teamrenezeder
http://www.twitter.com/teamrenezeder
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Source: nissannews.com
Nissan: Paris Motor Show Getting Underway
This release contains: 1 Related Document, 1 Photo
Source: nissannews.com
PARIS – Car-makers are gathering in the French capital, showing off dozens of new models despite anxiety over the Eurozone crisis.
The sounds of hammers and drills filled the pavilions hours before the show was due to open to the press as the manufacturers' teams putting the finishing touches to their displays.
Building Nissan's stand has taken a hundred people two weeks, and that's after six months of planning.
"What we try to do is really highlight the Nissan message, so Innovation and Excitement for Everyone," said Andrea Bencelova, motor shows section manager for Nissan.
"I think we can find it through all our products and stages. So going through, there's zero emission. A very great concept car which is zero emission, and the future, the next level of zero emission."
"Then we also see the New York taxi, which is something different we are trying to do. We also have this women's universe in terms of Micras, and we have a strong part that is about performance."
A production-ready version of the Juke Nismo is debuting in Paris, the first of a range of hot Nissans.
There is a facelift for the 370Z, as well as a car that is the result of collaboration between Nissan and the Ministry of Sound, a top London nightclub.
"We created what we called the Juke Box, which is basically the ultimate mobile sound system," said Thomas Rodier, events section manager at Nissan Europe.
"This is really something innovative and exciting for everyone. We've been touring with these cars all across Europe over the summer. It is almost like a jumbo jet at take-off in terms of the noise, so I can tell you we are not very friendly with our neighbors when we are using these cars."
"But this is about engaging with people, explaining what is the co-creation between Ministry of Sound and Nissan around the Juke Ministry of Sound Special Edition. And we try to talk to a different audience now, all the clubbers and the people who are in what's called the hype."
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Source: nissannews.com
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