WASHINGTON, June 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dominique Thormann, senior vice president for administration and finance at Nissan North America, Inc., today testified at a congressional hearing that radical change, in the form of breakthrough technology like the zero-emission electric car, is needed to address national and global challenges affecting consumers and the environment. During his comments he asked members of Congress to foster greater cooperation between the public and private sectors in order to create an environment that encourages investment in new technologies and infrastructure.
Speaking at the hearing chaired by Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and titled, "$4 Gasoline and Fuel Economy: Auto Industry at a Crossroads," Thormann reiterated Nissan's commitment to deliver electric vehicles to the United States before the end of 2010.
"At first, the number of vehicles will be relatively small but we plan to have a truly mass-market lineup in the U.S. by 2012," he said. "These electric vehicles will be cars that consumers will be happy to drive," Thormann added, while explaining that Nissan is working to deliver the same quality and performance in electric vehicles that consumers have come to expect from today's driving experience.
Thormann emphasized that the challenges of energy independence and global warming will require unprecedented cooperation and urged Congress to work with private industry in making widespread use of innovations such as zero-emission electric vehicles a reality.
"Coping with global warming and energy independence goes well beyond what a single company can do," he said. "It is together, by collectively pooling ideas and investments from private and public sectors, that actionable, meaningful solutions will emerge."
In May 2008, Nissan released a five-year business plan called GT 2012. Central to that plan is Nissan's commitment to become a global leader in zero-emission vehicles. The company is designing electric vehicles for fleet use in the United States in 2010 and for the global mass market two years later.
As a proof point of the company's commitment, Nissan is working with its Alliance partner Renault as well as with Project Better Place on the first wide-scale deployment of zero-emission vehicles in programs scheduled for Israel and Denmark in 2011. Nissan believes that this collaborative effort offers important insights into alternative business and societal models for enabling a high-quality and sustainable approach to the automotive experience.
About Nissan North America:
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 2010, whose key priorities are reducing CO2 emissions, cutting other emissions and increasing recycling. 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.
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