Nissan Announces Senior Leadership Appointment for New Plant in Brazil

FRANKLIN, Tenn., Dec. 1 , 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Nissan Americas today announced that Atsuhiko Hayakawa, currently vice president and general manager of Nissan's manufacturing operations in Yokohama, Japan, has been named vice president, Manufacturing Operations, Nissan Brazil, effective Jan. 1, 2012. In his new role, Hayakawa will oversee the new production facility Nissan will build in Resende, in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, which was announced last month. He will report to Bill Krueger, vice chairman, Nissan Americas, and Hidetoshi Imazu, executive vice president, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

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"Hayakawa-san's Nissan career has perfectly prepared him to launch our Resende plant," said Krueger. "In his current role at our production site in Yokohama, he has led his team to benchmark-level quality, cost and time performance. As we continue to strengthen Nissan's presence in Brazil, we expect to benefit significantly from Hayakawa-san's manufacturing expertise and strong management skills."

Hayakawa joined Nissan in 1982 and, since then, has held positions of increasing responsibility in engine and production engineering, and production management, including an assignment at Nissan Mexicana from 1994 through 1997. From 2004 to 2006, he was a Powertrain program director with responsibility for V6/V8 engines used in models such as the Infiniti G and Nissan Titan, including the VQ engine that was named to Ward's 10 Best Engines list for fourteen consecutive years. He has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Waseda University.

Nissan's Resende facility, scheduled to begin production in the first half of 2014, will have the capacity to produce  200,000 units annually of Nissan's 'V' platform products and will directly create up to 2,000 jobs. The new plant is anticipated to become a key enabler of Nissan's growth strategy for fast-growing BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) markets and expands on Nissan's current capacity in the state of Parana. That existing facility will continue to produce Nissan Livina and Frontier models.

Nissan has confirmed that it plans to become the leading Asian automotive brand in Brazil – the world's fourth largest auto market by volume – and attain at least five percent market share in the country by 2016.

About Nissan Americas

In the Americas, 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 and was recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2010 and 2011. More information on Nissan in North America, the Nissan LEAF and zero emissions can be found at www.nissanusa.com.

About Nissan

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 248,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4.1 million vehicles in 2010, generating revenue of 8.77 trillion yen ($102.37 billion U.S.). With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of 64 models under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. A pioneer in zero-emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades, including the prestigious 2011 European Car of the Year award and 2011 World Car of the Year.

For more information on our products, services and commitment to Sustainable Mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.

SOURCE Nissan Americas