Nissan Becomes Co-Title Sponsor of RADIOSHACK NISSAN TREK Professional Cycling Team

FRANKLIN, Tenn., Jan. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today announced an agreement with LEOPARD s.a. and CSE Pro Cycling, LLC to become co-title sponsor of the professional cycling team that will be racing globally as part of the World Tour.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080506/NISSANWORDMARKLOGO )

RADIOSHACK NISSAN TREK consists of 30 professional riders from around the world, including Andy and Frank Schleck, Fabian Cancellara, Andreas Kloden, plus Americans Chris Horner, Matthew Busche and Ben King.  The team will compete in an extensive schedule of professional cycling races worldwide in 2012, including the Tour de France, the Tour of California and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado. 

"We built a solid foundation for Nissan through our cycling partnership with the team the past two seasons and are ready to take it to the next level now as one of the title sponsors of RADIOSHACK NISSAN TREK," said Brian Carolin, senior vice president, Nissan North America.  "Our promotional activities tied to major cycling events such as the Tour of California and the Tour de France allows us to connect with millions of fans around the world.  We plan to use these events to launch many exciting products here in the United States and around the globe in 2012." 

Nissan enjoys a strong presence in the health, wellness and personal fitness arena with partnerships with the Boston Marathon and New York Marathon, as well as the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, TN, where Nissan's North American headquarters is located.  Nissan also plans to actively support the RADIOSHACK NISSAN TREK pro cycling team at the Tour of California, Tour of Colorado, Tour de France and other major Pro Cycling events around the globe.  The company views the partnership as a way to connect with the more than 22 million cyclists in the United States and over 40 million cycling fans that attended live events around the world in 2012. 

"We're very excited to have Nissan increase their support of our team.  Team vehicles and new innovations play a key role in the success of any professional cycling team and we look forward to using Nissan products as we race around the world," said Chris Horner.  "We know that Nissan has some exciting product launches on the horizon and we look forward to an excellent partnership with our Nissan friends for 2012."

"The 2011 season was filled with many great wins and we look forward to even more success in the coming season.  RADIOSHACK NISSAN TREK has built a formidable group of talented riders that will be in the running to win from the spring classics right through the grand tours.  We are thrilled to have the team continue to use the Nissan lineup of innovative vehicles as they compete on the world stage," added Carolin. 

About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, design, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing.  Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010 and has been recognized as a 2010 and 2011 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency.  More information about 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.

About Nissan
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second largest Japanese automotive company by volume, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan and is an integral pillar of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 150,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4 million vehicles in 2010. With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of fuel-efficient and low-emissions vehicles 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.  For more information on our products, services and commitment to Sustainable Mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.

About Capital Sports & Entertainment
Based in Austin, Texas, Capital Sports & Entertainment (CSE) builds and manages experiences, personalities, businesses and brands.  CSE has launched successful enterprises such as the Austin City Limits Music Festival, Lollapalooza, the Discovery Channel Pro-Cycling Team, C3 Presents, and C3 Management.  CSE ran and managed the Discovery Channel Pro-Cycling Team from 2004-2007 after taking over as manager of the United States Pro-Cycling Team.  CSE created media and marketing partnerships that produced integrated programming on OLN/Versus, ESPN and Discovery.  CSE will be the General Manager for Team RadioShack, which will compete as a Pro-Tour team.  Additionally, CSE manages the Trek-LIVESTRONG U23 Team, a joint project between Lance Armstrong and Trek Bicycle to help develop the next generation of great American cyclists.  For more information about CSE or its clients and properties, visit www.planetcse.com.

About LEOPARD
LEOPARD s.a. is the managing company behind the RADIOSHACK NISSAN TREK WorldTour cycling team.  Mr. Flavio Becca, a Luxembourg entrepreneur of many successful companies, most notably in real estate, owns the company.  The company holds the UCI WorldTour license and was started in the course of 2010, to become active at the start of the 2011 cycling season and promote and develop Luxembourg cycling in the world.

SOURCE Nissan North America, Inc.