| The Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced its plan | | | | diesel-powered vehicle, the automaker is |
| to build the first diesel-powered vehicle in | | | | likely to use the expertise of Renault which |
| North America in the next few years. The | | | | is its alliance partner. |
| decision is anchored on the growing | | | | |
| competition and the move of automakers | | | | In 2005, sixty three percent of the Japanese |
| towards fuel efficiency. | | | | automaker's product lines in Western Europe |
| | | | were equipped with diesel engines. With the |
| Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive of the | | | | shift to greener and cleaner engines, other |
| Nissan of Japan and the Renault of France, | | | | automakers are now planning more diesels in |
| intimated the details about the company's | | | | their lineup. DaimlerChrysler, Honda, and |
| diesel strategy in a speech to the Council on | | | | Volkswagen are just some of the automakers |
| Foreign Relations in Washington. Ghosn is | | | | working with that goal in mind. |
| amenable that the auto industry may have been | | | | |
| shortsighted in fighting increased | | | | As the auto industry continues to produce |
| fuel-economy standards. | | | | more-efficient vehicles, Ghosn urged |
| | | | lawmakers and regulators to make rules that |
| Like other automotive executives, Ghosn is | | | | simply do not favor one technology over |
| striving to satisfy the increasing consumer | | | | another. "At the end of the day, it's about |
| appetite for fuel-efficient cars. | | | | carbon dioxide emissions," Ghosn said. "Let's |
| Additionally, the fuel efficiency demands in | | | | talk about performance, let's not talk about |
| Washington have to be solved immediately | | | | technology. The competition will be on |
| before global warming and oil-dependence | | | | technology." |
| issues cripple the industry. | | | | |
| | | | Ghosn became famous largely for rescuing |
| In a meeting with editors and reporters in | | | | Nissan, which was near bankruptcy in 1999. |
| the industry, Ghosn said that the auto | | | | His plan was built largely on catering to |
| industry brought some problems on itself by | | | | Americans' desire for speed and horsepower |
| fighting fuel-economy regulations over the | | | | during the craze for trucks and sport-utility |
| years. "The car industry... because it has | | | | vehicles in the 1990s. |
| been a little bit shortsighted, saying all | | | | |
| the time" that a change in fuel-efficiency | | | | Ghosn has ridiculed hybrids in the past, |
| standards "is not possible, this is too | | | | saying that their high prices did not make |
| expensive, this is not going to happen, put | | | | good business sense. Ghosn said that he was |
| itself in a situation where everybody is | | | | not convinced that hybrids were the answer to |
| focusing on the car industry," Ghosn said. | | | | U.S. fuel-efficiency needs. But now, he is |
| "The carbon dioxide emitted by a car looks | | | | singing a new tune. "There are a lot of |
| more damaging than the carbon dioxide emitted | | | | technologies on the table and we are working |
| by everybody else." | | | | on a lot of them," he said. |
| | | | |
| Ghosn said any push for tougher fuel-economy | | | | This year, Nissan is introducing its first |
| rules - known as the corporate average fuel | | | | hybrid which is a version of the Altima |
| economy, or CAFE - should be accompanied by | | | | sedan. It will not fascinate enthusiasts just |
| tougher limits on other | | | | because of Nissan tail light, but would catch |
| carbon-dioxide-emitting industries. "If you | | | | attention because of its green technology |
| take up CAFE for the car industry, just make | | | | mated to superb performance and appearance. |
| sure that the other industries also have | | | | The hybrid technology is licensed from the |
| something similar," Ghosn said. For the new | | | | Toyota Motor Corporation. |