About Nissan

RyanThomas asked:


The Nissan North America Inc. said that 775 workers at its vehicle and engine plants in Tennessee, which equates to around 12 percent of the factories’ combined payroll, had accepted a company buyout plan. Initially, Parent Nissan Motor Co. only expected about 300 of the 6,200 factory workers to take the buyouts but the real numbers astounded the automaker.

Nissan said that 681 employees at its plant in Smyrna and 94 employees at Decherd decided to take advantage of the offers. Retirements accounted for 303 of the combined number. Employees were offered a $45,000 lump-sum payment plus $500 for each year of service to walk away from their jobs. The buyout offers were not made available to employees at other Nissan manufacturing locations in North America.

The automaker is currently in the process of swiftly cutting costs to concentrate more on some production concerns. The cost cutting goal resulted to the relocation of its North American headquarters and 1,300 jobs from Gardena to Nashville in the previous year. The Japanese automaker said it offered the buyouts because of higher demand for passenger cars combined with lower demand for trucks and sport utility vehicles.

“This program has resulted in tangible benefits for employees and the company,” said Dan Gaudette, the senior vice president of Nissan North American Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management. “Each person is unique, but several employees have already told us the program will allow them to return to school full-time, to start up businesses they have dreamed about or to start enjoying their retirement. It was the right program at the right time.”

Buyouts have been odd among Japanese car makers with U.S. factories. Nissan said that it wanted to trim the manufacturing payroll in Tennessee because sales of labor-intensive light trucks built there were falling at the same time productivity had increased because of advances in manufacturing technology.

Nissan spokesman Fred Standish said the company does not have plans at this point to hire more employees for the plants. “The total number is good for us,” he said. “We can continue producing.”

Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn earlier noted a slump in U.S. sales, especially in sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks. The automaker also expects a decline in sales this year after six strong years of consecutive yearly increases.

The automaker’s Smyrna facility, which is located 25 miles southeast of Nashville, is its principal North American assembly plant. It holds a total of 5,200 employees. The engine plant in Decherd, with 1,000 workers, is about 95 miles southeast of Nashville.

The Smyrna plant manufactures Nissan Altima, Maxima passenger cars, Nissan Frontier pickups and Nissan Xterra and Pathfinder SUVs. The plant is responsible for the assembly of auto parts like the Nissan EGR valve and ensures their quality. The Decherd facility, on the other hand, manufactures engines for Nissan and Infiniti vehicles built in the United States.



Sara

arcturus600 asked:


My 2001 Nissan Altima, sputters when I sit at a long traffic light. I have had the throttle body clean, the air/fuel filter replace and a tune up. One thing mentioned was that my car should use NDK spark plugs, but I do not have them. My car never stalls, it only sputters. But when the air conditioner is on the car idle is smooth. Any ideas? Thanks!

Gary

Mike Bartley asked:


Crews are busy dumping gravel and pouring concrete to build the new corporate facility of the Nissan North America in Franklin which is about 20 miles south of downtown Nashville. Tall elevator towers and busy men at work would tell anyone that construction is in progress. The $100 million-worth 460,000-square-foot headquarters being built is to be called ‘Nissan Americas,’ reflecting the management of programs and facilities throughout North, Central and South America.

According to Nissan officials, the completion of the facility is set by mid 2008. The corporate facility will have a bend in the middle, and will resemble a gentle, “S” shape to represent how Nissan’s products move people. Materials for the building include 3,400 tons of structural steel, 23,000 cubic yards of concrete and 575 tons of reinforcing steel. Over the course of the project, 113,000 cubic yards of earth will be moved in and around the 50-acre site.

The facility is engineered to hold more than 1,500 employees. Until the facility is ready, Nissan employees are working in the Bell South building in downtown Nashville. The building pad has been completed and two of its four elevator towers are finished. The drilled pier foundations for the office facility and adjacent garage have also been completed. Preparation of the site roads and installation of underground utilities have begun. The assembly of steel around the first tower began earlier. The facility will be ten stories tall, and measure 150 feet at its highest point.

Nissan Americas is given an underground level with two salons intended for special reviews of new models or prototype vehicles. The building has an adjacent parking garage that can accommodate 1,135 vehicles. The 10,000-square-foot employee fitness centre also is being constructed on the western side of the parking garage structure.

“The construction project is on schedule, and the footprint of the building is now visible,” said Rob Traynham, the Nissan North America director of Security, Flight Operations and Facilities. “Nissan Americas will be a striking addition to the business landscape in Franklin, but, more importantly, it will be at the centre of value creation for all our operations.”

The facility has been designed to provide a spacious and productive work environment for Nissan employees. Inside of the building are large, alternating atriums with open stairways that link main floors. Each floor’s open environment will also include informal meeting areas, and video conferencing centers to hearten cross-functional collaboration among Nissan employees in North America or in other parts of the world. The facility is conducive to brainstorming about models and auto parts accessories that include the famed Nissan Exedy clutch kit.

The Skanska USA Building Inc. is the construction manager of the Nissan Americas project. Gresham, Smith and Partners is accountable for the design and engineering work for the facility.



Lee

Neal P asked:


I have a nissan pathfinder 2003 and need a new rear hatch. I need to know the best place i can get one for cheap.

Gina

RyanThomas asked:


The Nissan North America has started the construction of its new corporate facility which is located 20 miles south of downtown Nashville in Franklin, Tenn. According to company officials, the $100 million-worth headquarters being built will be called “Nissan Americas.” The completion of the 460,000-square-foot facility is set in mid-2008.

The new corporate headquarters is designed to accommodate over 1,500 employees. In order to finish the Nissan Americas, it will need materials that include 3,400 tons of structural steel, 575 tons of reinforcing steel and 23,000 cubic yards of concrete. Over the course of the project, 113,000 cubic yards of earth will be moved in and around the 50-acre site. The facility is designed with a bend in the middle to form an S shape. The shape symbolizes how Nissan vehicles move people.

“The construction project is on schedule, and the footprint of the building is now visible,” said Rob Traynham, the Nissan North America director of Security, Flight Operations and Facilities. “Nissan Americas will be a striking addition to the business landscape in Franklin, but, more importantly, it will be at the center of value creation for all our operations.”

Nissan Americas will comprise ten office floors and an underground level with two salons. The salons are designed for special reviews of new models or prototype vehicles. The salons could also function as a rendezvous for auto parts brainstorming. There, top officials could tackle and conceptualize the magic formula for the Nissan header pipe or other auto parts and car technologies.

The facility will reach a height of about 150 feet and will cover a total floor space of 460,000 square feet. Additionally, an adjacent parking garage will accommodate 1,135 vehicles and there also is a 10,000-square-foot employee fitness center which is currently being constructed on the western side of the parking garage structure.

Nissan Americas is especially designed to provide a roomy and dynamic work environment for employees. Inside the facility are huge, alternating atriums with open stairways that connect the main floors. Each floor includes informal meeting areas and video conferencing centers to encourage positive collaboration among employees. Until the facility is ready, Nissan employees will be working in the Bell South building in downtown Nashville.

The construction manager of the Nissan Americas project is the Skanska USA Building Inc. The design and engineering of the new facility of the automaker is created and supervised by Gresham, Smith and Partners.

Nissan North America’s operations include styling, design and engineering of vehicles. The company is also engaged in consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, as well as distribution and manufacturing.



Darryl

U don’t need 2 know asked:


I am trying to sell a Nissan 1884 king cab 4 by 4 Pick- up. I would like to know how to raise the value of it with out defeating the purpose by spending too much money to fix it.

Wilma

………. asked:


I fell in love with this car when i went to europe. How can i get it? Can i ship it from europe? Can nissan ship one to me? Its the only car i want… :o(

Sara

RyanThomas asked:


Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn told shareholders last Wednesday that the Japanese automaker will forego the board members bonus pay to take responsibility for poor performance. The executive said that the bonuses were withheld after the group net profit dropped for the first time in seven years for the fiscal year that ended March 30.

The decision of the Japanese automaker marked the first time it has failed to pay bonuses to its board since Ghosn assumed the top job in 2000. The executive acknowledged at a hall crowded with hundreds of shareholders in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, that the automaker had not met its targets for fiscal 2006. “We are taking our responsibility seriously,” he said.

Ghosn tried to assure shareholders by saying that Nissan was investing aggressively in the future, including building brand image, opening plants in emerging markets, launching new product lines and developing green technology. “2007 will be a better year for Nissan,” he said.

The Tokyo-based automaker had etched a dramatic turnaround from near bankruptcy under the Ghosn management. The executive was sent in 1999 to negotiate alliance with French partner Renault SA, which owns 44 percent of the company. Ghosn became remarkably famous for saving the near-bankrupt automaker. But recently its sales have been dropping, and it has fell into third place in Japan behind the Toyota Motor Corp. and the Honda Motor Co.

At the annual meeting, most shareholders were calmly attentive but a few assertively throw questions to Ghosn, even mocking him from the floor at times. Such atmosphere is not particularly strange at Japanese shareholders’ meetings. Grilled with queries about whether the Japanese automaker was falling behind in quality and ecological technology, Ghosn told shareholders that he was confident that better times were ahead, and that the problems were temporary.

One shareholder demanded the resignation of Ghosn for failing to meet his own “commitments.” Other shareholders said that the Japanese automaker had fallen behind in quality surveys, did not have stylish cars like Honda, and needed a better emblem design.

The pivotal part of Ghosn’s revival program at Nissan was to have the automaker at all levels from top management to the line worker set performance targets and then try to meet them. Ghosn has constantly met or outpaced his own targets until lately. He told shareholders that Nissan has announced that it needs an extra year to meet its much publicized annual global sales target of 4.2 million vehicles, initially set for the fiscal year ending March 2009.

Japan’s third largest automaker has experienced wavering sales in crucial markets at a time when offerings from the Toyota Motor Corp. and the Honda Motor Co. are deemed hot sellers. Soaring raw material costs, incentives, discounts to lure auto shoppers, and lack of new models hurt Nissan’s performance.

Ghosn acknowledged Nissan’s finances had been so dire in the 1990s that it was not able to invest in technology. Today, Nissan is investing heavily to play catch-up in key technologies, including hybrids powered by gas engines and electric motors to deliver good mileage, as well as other kinds of environmental innovations, he said. The automaker is also working on the enhancement of its auto parts which can be reflected in the Nissan repair manuals.

For the just-ended fiscal year, Nissan’s profit dropped eleven percent to $3.9 billion. Additionally, the company sold 3.48 million vehicles worldwide, down 2.4 percent from 2006. Ghosn said that their efforts were under way to revive its business, including trimming jobs in Japan and the U.S., revamping dealerships and planning more product launches.

Nissan expects profit will increase more than four percent to $4 billion in the fiscal year through March 2008.



Pedro

Peter asked:


I am trying to replace the rear speakers of a 1992 Nissan Pathfinder and I am having a heck of a time finding speakers that fit. After being led astray (several times) by Best Buy employees I am getting a little annoyed. Anyone out there know? Thanks.

Evelyn

brittaney a asked:


I want a 2008 nissan frontier… “nismo” but what is the difference between the SE or the LS I think is what I saw lol. Also are the nismo alright on gas?

Gail