The Japanese car maker Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. said last Tuesday that it will invest some 750 million U.S. dollars in a new research and development center to catch up with rivals in environmental and safety engineering.
New Technology Center
Japan, dedicated AOS third largest car maker Nissan Advanced Technology Center (NATC) on Tuesday in Atsugi, west of Tokyo, with about 2000 employees and laboratories for advanced vehicles, electric drives and other devices.
The opening of the new facility underlines the determination to develop the automotive manufacturers, environmental and safety technologies that are increasingly riding the tough competition in the automotive industry is crucial. “Whether products with technology is that appeals can be offered to consumers in time, determine the winners and losers,” Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said in Japan at the opening in Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture.
”NATC has been established to accelerate the research and advanced engineering of breakthrough technologies for the next generation of Nissan products,” Nissan Executive Vice President Mitsuhiko Yamashita said. “Future technologies being developed in the environmental impact and creating a secure mobile society,” he added.
The investment will be renovations to such a powertrain development center and global coverage of both design studio in Atsugi, the company said in a statement. At NATC, Nissan, AOS pool of engineers, a number of environmentally friendly technologies for the monitoring of dangerous carbon dioxide emissions limit, including electric cars and hybrids, continued the statement. The Japanese car manufacturer also wants an “Intelligent Transportation System”, in which data from the beacons used to keep drivers alert and help slash reduce potential road accidents.
NATC is located in Kanagawa Prefecture, and which is adjacent to Tokyo. Nissan has two other major facilities in the prefecture for product planning, research and development and evolution: the Nissan Technical Center in Atsugi and the Nissan Research Center in Yokosuka.
Violation
The Japanese automaker has been hit by a business crisis in the late 1990s. Since then it has behind the Toyota Motor Corporation and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. in the development of a new generation of vehicles back. Honda has its plan for a new laboratory in Japan built in 2009 indicated. Last month, Nissan reported the first drop in annual profits since 1999 under its legendary chief, a Brazilian-born Frenchman, who is also CEO of Renault.
Nissan officials admitted the company shortly before the collapse before his dramatic upturn in 1999 under an alliance with Renault SA of France meant that they do not invest in technology, to the extent desired, they could themselves. But in recent years, Nissan has invested more in technology, she said.
The goal
Nissan Senior Vice President Minoru Shinohara said the carmaker is not the one employed to do what his opponent and focus on its own goals, such as perfecting its original hybrid system that he said the competition will focus surpassed.
Hybrids from Toyota and Honda now use nickel-metal hydride batteries, although all major automakers, including General Motors Corp. in the U.S., are working on lithium-ion batteries for vehicles. Breakthroughs can be exactly what Nissan, when he hopes to bridge the gap in hybrids with industry leaders like Toyota and Honda narrow needs, stock analysts.
Analysts say Äó
Some analysts said Nissan has fallen behind rivals Toyota and Honda in developing gas and hybrid cars and other technologies to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming too.
Yasuaki Iwamoto, an auto analyst at Okasan Securities Co. in Tokyo, said investing in the Nissan Advanced Technology Center is a step in the right direction. “Anything to survive, Nissan no chance, is the competition,” he said. “Catching up is not so easy for Nissan. It’s not like Toyota and Honda are going to sit still and do nothing.”
Maintaining the standing under such unfavorable conditions is a key obstacle to overcome Researchers need to make environmentally friendly vehicles. Nissan Lithium ion batteries are expected to have the great advantage of the smaller size compared to existing systems have been tested to the position of the car manufacturer in the automotive Battle Arena lift.
The improvement of the product lines
Nissan has a hybrid last year, but now licenses the technology from Toyota. The automaker is working on an original hybrid by 2010 will be launched by what she says is a superior kind of battery technology, lithium-ion battery for Nissan engines are mated. The batteries are mainly used in devices such as laptops and cell phones, but are not completely accurate to the further requirements of a car engine adapted.
In the car manufacturer, stored AOS new complex for technology, experimental car batteries are in freezing temperatures, cooked in giant metal boxes and clattered to improve the ride. The batteries are expected to be a vital role in Nissan to play catch AOS efforts in the race to develop environmentally friendly vehicles. The lithium-ion batteries were in the middle of this test opened Tuesday in Atsugi, west of Tokyo.
”Whether products with technology that appeals can be offered to consumers in time, will determine the winners and losers,” Ghosn noted.
Nissan is also developing a “three-liter car” is the traveler 100 kilometers or 60 miles, on just three liters, or about three liters of gasoline. The company hopes to unveil a new model in Japan in 2010.
At Alliance
The Japanese carmaker is also confident in the competition without additional alliance. Ghosn said last Tuesday that Nissan is not under pressure to create a new alliance partner is found, not in conversation with someone, despite news that a private equity company buys US-based automaker Chrysler. “We do not talk to anyone. I do not think that it said the timing right now,” au Ghosn, while commemorating the opening of the new technology center.
In 2006, Nissan and Renault entered French partner tie-up negotiations months ago with Detroit, AOS General Motors Corp. in an attempt to create an auto juggernaut in Asia, Europe and North America. The talks ended without agreement.
Ghosn has since been open the possibility of another merger, adding that a North American link would be a natural extension. But he said he is currently satisfied with the extent of the Nissan-Renault partnership. “There is no change,” he said.
New $ 750m Tech Center ignites Nissan Catch-up plan
Ryan Thomas is a native of Denver, Colorado. He grew up in a family of car lovers. He now lives in Detroit, where he owns a service shop and works part time as a consultant for a local automotive magazine.
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