New Nissan Altima Hybrid Part of Company??™s Green Program

NEW YORK The recent launch of the 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid, the companys first gasoline-electric vehicle in the United States, is just one example of the companys Green Program 2010 a set of targets to reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions, and recycle resources over the next three years.

Nissan Motor Co. will focus on improving the efficiency of traditional internal combustion engines in the short term, while keeping a long-term focus on developing renewable energy sources, electric powertrains, and other technologies, Mark Perry, director of sedan and cross carline product planning, said April 3 at a press briefing.

As a company, we believe that internal combustion engines the engines that you know today are going to be around for the next 30, 40, 50 years, he said. Theyre not going away.

While improved technology can result in a 30 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions in ICEs, Perry said the company is taking a wide view and pushing all the technologies forward, rather than like in a horse race, trying to back one horse, and thinking thats going to win the race.

The company was investing in various solutions, including clean diesel vehicles, bio-ethanol vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, fuel-cell vehicles, and electric vehicles.

Theres a lot of horses in the race and we want to make sure that we are investing properly, he said. There may be more than one winner, noting that different technologies could succeed in each market because of differing regulations worldwide.

For example, the use of clean diesel vehicles is already huge in Europe, but still slow to catch on in the United States, he said. Were way, way behind, but we know its coming, he said.

Nissan will make an announcement in upcoming weeks regarding the launch of clean diesel vehicles in the United States. The technology could help achieve a nearly 90 percent reduction in exhaust emissions in ICEs.

The company also has plans to sell clean diesel vehicles in Japan and China as part of the 2010 targets, Perry said.

All Nissan automobiles currently can run bio-ethanol 10 percent fuel, but the company has plans to expand in the U.S. market for E85 blend gasoline, with a priority on trucks, he said.

Starting this past February, the Altima hybrid was made available in eight states that have adopted California emissions regulations California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont, he said, and the company would be watching consumer reaction carefully.

U.S. consumers are on the whole known as selective contributors, meaning they want to do the right thing, but often not at the cost of convenience and greater expense, he said.

By 2010, Nissan plans to develop an original hybrid vehicle. Currently the company licenses its hybrid technology from Toyota Motor Corp.

An announcement for Nissan Infiniti vehicles using Direct Injection Gasoline and Variable valve event and lift system (DIG+VEL) technology, was expected April 4 at the New York Auto Show.

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