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New News from Nissan and Infiniti.
From Autoblog:
Carlos Ghosn assembled the press this morning in Japan to announce Nissan/Infiniti's financial results for 2007, and despite sales in Japan dropping by 2.5-percent last year, global sales are up by 8.2-percent, with a 3.0-percent increase in U.S. sales and a massive 17.9-percent bump in Europe. All told, Nissan took in $94.62 billion last year, with a $6.91 billion operating profit. Nissan attributes its successes abroad to the release of 11 new models worldwide, including the Altima Coupe, GT-R, Murano, Infiniti EX CUV and G37 coupe.
The automaker has its sights set firmly on the future, with a five-year plan that focuses on three key commitments: quality leadership, an industry leading zero-emissions vehicle program and a five-percent growth in revenue between 2008 and 2012. The program is called Nissan "GT" 2012, with the "G" standing for "growth" and the "T" for "trust." To achieve those goals, Nissan will be expanding with Infiniti's launch in Europe, along with pushing further into developing markets like India, the Middle East, Brazil, China and Russia. Leading the charge will be 60 all-new models released in the next five years and the debut of 15 new technologies each year from 2009 onwards.
While we're already familiar with most of the vehicles Nissan and Infiniti intends to release in the coming year (Qashqai+2, new Z), two models were officially confirmed: an Infiniti G37 convertible (rumored to sport a retractable hard top) and a "mini SUV." While there's been speculation that a G37 cabrio was on the way, the small 'ute is likely to the rumored 1-series competitor we've reported on before.
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