Employees Celebrate Nissan Americas Opening

President and CEO Carlos Ghosn welcomes more than 1,500 employees and
dignitaries and announces zero-emissions vehicle partnership with Tennessee

FRANKLIN, Tenn., July 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nissan (Nasdaq: NSANY)
today celebrated the dedication of Nissan Americas in Franklin, Tenn. The new
center serves as regional headquarters for the United States, Canada and
Mexico. Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen and U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander joined
Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn for opening ceremonies. The day-long
event included more than 1,500 employees and members of the community.
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Nissan Americas is designed to encourage and inspire cross-functional
collaboration within the region. The 10-story, S-shaped facility, designed
with numerous environmental features, provides 460,000 square feet of office
space. The construction of the new campus was done in partnership with
architects Gresham, Smith and Partners, and construction firm Skanska U.S.A.
Employees are moving into the building in phases during July and August.
"Nissan Americas is an investment in our future," Ghosn said. "We
purposefully designed the building to inspire and enhance collaboration among
our employees. The building also is a statement about our confidence in the
continued growth of Nissan in the Americas and our unyielding commitment to
environmental sustainability."
In May, Ghosn unveiled Nissan's five-year business plan, GT 2012,
including an outline of Nissan's commitment to leadership in the design,
development, manufacture and distribution of zero-emission vehicles. The
company will launch electric vehicles in the U.S. and Japan in 2010 and in
2012 for mass-market commercial delivery.
At the dedication, Ghosn announced that Nissan and the State of Tennessee
are forming a partnership to promote zero-emission vehicles in Middle
Tennessee with participation from the Tennessee Valley Authority and other
partners.
Today the company also announced three philanthropic donations to local
organizations. Specifically, the company donated $50,000 each to the Boys and
Girls Club of Williamson County, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee,
and the Harpeth River Watershed Association.
Nissan Americas Campus
The need for inspiring, functional, efficient work spaces and a place to
showcase Nissan and Infiniti vehicles guided the design and the construction
of Nissan Americas.
Employees and visitors enter Nissan Americas through a three-story lobby
featuring a glass wall, which allows light to illuminate the vehicles on
display.
On the office floors, the open floor plan has been designed to accommodate
and encourage cross-functional collaboration in a setting flooded with natural
light and surrounded by views through the glass walls. Other prominent
features on each floor are the "town center" housing support functions such as
copiers and mailboxes, dozens of meeting places, and alternating staircases
and atria, which encourage employee interaction.
The facility also includes a cafeteria and coffee shop, a Nissan and
Infiniti merchandise store, video conferencing centers and advanced-technology
conference rooms whose features will help employees significantly reduce paper
use. The 50-acre campus includes a newly restored 2.5-acre wetlands, a 10,000
square-foot fitness facility, a 4-story parking deck, a natural outdoor space
for large gatherings, and ample green space, which connects the campus to the
surrounding rolling hills.
Environmental Features
The Nissan Americas campus has numerous features designed to maximize
energy efficiency and reduce the impact on the environment. The office
building incorporates an efficient under-floor heating and cooling system,
with individualized adjustments to maximize comfort and improve energy
efficiency. The building's windows are a key design element and use
low-emissivity glass, which blocks radiant heat in the summer and traps it
indoors in the winter. A key element to the building's energy efficiency is a
sunshade system.
Designed to take advantage of the sun's position in every season, the
system reduces the solar load on the building in the summer while maximizing
it in the winter. Indoors, sensors detect natural light levels and
automatically adjust the lights accordingly for maximum efficiency. Topping
off the building is the green roof system, which incorporates 7,500 square
feet of six varieties of creeping red sedum. The low-growing plants act as
insulation and help reduce energy consumption.
An exceptional feature of Nissan Americas is the 2.5-acre wetlands, now
thriving due to Nissan's investment in its restoration. In an effort to
restore natural balance to the area while enhancing biodiversity and natural
beauty, Nissan has planted more than 50,000 plants native to Middle Tennessee.
The wetlands, located on the property's southwest corner, are fed by an
underground spring and run-off from nearby retention ponds. Water quality
will be improved as water passes through the wetlands. The landscape design
features carefully planned green spaces and includes a water-runoff system
that captures and collects rainwater from the entire site, directing it to one
of two water-control systems for irrigation.
Community Partnerships
Nissan is committed to enriching people's lives in communities in which it
operates. To that end, Nissan today announced $50,000 donations to three
organizations in the Middle Tennessee community.
The Boys & Girls Club of Williamson County provides programs addressing
today's most pressing youth issues and teaching young people the skills they
need to succeed in life. Funding will support Project Learn, Power Hour, and
Computer Lab Training.
The Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee is one of the largest and
most comprehensive of over 200 food banks and food distribution centers
nationwide, supplying more than 600,000 meals annually. Nissan's support will
fund the Second Harvest Backpack program, which provides needy children
easy-to-prepare food to take home on weekends and school vacations when other
resources are not available.
The Harpeth River Watershed Association's mission is to restore and
protect the ecological health and biodiversity of the Harpeth River system for
the people, fish and wildlife that depend on it. The wetlands on the Nissan
Americas property feed the Harpeth River watershed. Funds will be used to
support river restoration, education and outreach in Williamson County.
Nissan in Tennessee
Nissan's presence in Middle Tennessee dates back to 1980, when it
announced it would open its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Smyrna.
Today, the Smyrna facility builds the Nissan Altima, Maxima, Pathfinder,
Frontier and Xterra for the United States and other markets. Nissan's
facility in Decherd produces a variety of engines crankshafts, and
cylinder-block castings.
In November 2005, Nissan announced it would relocate its corporate offices
for the Americas to Tennessee, to better create synergies with its
manufacturing facilities in Tennessee and Mississippi, its Technical Center in
Farmington Hills, Mich., and its captive-finance operations in Irving, Texas.
The relocation to Middle Tennessee was completed in mid-2006. Since then,
employees have been working in temporary facilities in the AT&T building in
downtown Nashville and the Parts & Service facility in Franklin, which will
continue to stay in operation after the Nashville staff completes its move.
Today, about 8,000 Nissan employees call Tennessee home.
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 .
SOURCE Nissan North America, Inc.

The Americas: Katherine Zachary, Corporate Communications, +1-615-725-1447, or
Julie Lawless, Corporate Communications, +1-615-725-1449, both of Nissan North
America, Inc.; Donna Trawinski, Corporate Communications, Nissan Canada, Inc.,
+1-905-629-6435; Diego Arrazola, Corporate Communications, Nissan Mexicana,
+52-55-5628-2792; Global Contacts: Pauline Kee, Global Communications, Nissan
Motor Co., Ltd., +81 (0)3-5565-2141, Penny Szczepaniak, Corporate
Communications, Nissan Europe, +33 698 869 739