Nissan North America Confirms Small Car Strategy; Next Generation Sentra to Be Introduced in Summer 2006

GARDENA, Calif.--Sept. 13, 2004--Nissan North America, Inc., today announced a new small-vehicle segment strategy in response to changing consumer tastes in the North American market.

The Nissan Sentra will continue to be Nissan's core entry in the compact passenger car market in North America. It will be re-engineered to meet consumer demands for a stylish, economical and performance-oriented small car. The next generation of the all-new Nissan Sentra will be introduced in 2006.

Nissan's Aguascalientes Plant in Mexico, which builds the current generation Nissan Sentra, will continue to be the sole global source for the next generation Sentra. Production of the current Sentra will continue at Aguascalientes Plant through 2006.

"Just as we have entered the full-size truck segment with bold, breakthrough products like Titan, we are determined to offer our customers more choice in the growing compact-car segment," commented Jed Connelly, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Nissan North America.

In addition to the next generation Sentra, Nissan announced its intention to introduce at least one all-new vehicle responding to new customer needs for smaller cars. Current examples of this type of vehicle include the Nissan Cube (Japan) and Nissan March/Micra (Japan, Europe). This all-new vehicle, smaller than the Sentra, will be introduced in North America during calendar year 2007.

Further details about Nissan's North American compact-car strategy will be announced later.

"We're excited about these new opportunities to expand our presence in the compact-car segment," Connelly said. "Nissan started in North America with compact cars and trucks, and we're confident these new vehicles will build on that heritage."

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. 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.infiniti.com.