Nissan Armada and Maxima Category Leaders in AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Award Study

SAN FRANCISCO--June 7, 2004--AutoPacific Inc. presented awards to Nissan North America, Inc. on Thursday after the Nissan Armada and Maxima finished atop their categories in the automotive consulting firm's annual Vehicle Satisfaction Award study.

The industry benchmark study objectively measures owner satisfaction with new vehicles. 2004 ratings involve responses from more than 32,000 buyers and lessees of new vehicles acquired between September and December 2003. Covered are 44 specific areas related to a vehicle's operation, comfort, safety and the overall purchase or lease experience.

The Nissan Armada, which went into production last fall at Nissan's new assembly plant in Canton, Miss., was the survey's top-rated large sport-utility vehicle. The 2004 Nissan Maxima, produced at Nissan's award-winning Smyrna, Tenn., assembly plant, was at the top of entry luxury car category.

"Armada's victory is particularly notable in that it is a completely new vehicle with new chassis, powertrain and body, built in an all-new plant in Mississippi by a workforce that for the most part has never built vehicles before," said Rex Parker, AutoPacific Vice President and Senior Consultant. "This is quite an accomplishment by any definition."

The award presentations came during the Nissan 360 news media event, a three-week program in San Francisco featuring the automaker's current and future global product and business plans. Also at the event, over 400 reporters drove nearly 70 Nissan and Infiniti vehicles to familiarize themselves with the breadth of Nissan's global product lineup.

Along with naming the Armada and Maxima as category winners, AutoPacific noted that the new Nissan Titan full-size pickup truck, also built at Canton, had some of the highest satisfaction ratings of any vehicle surveyed. AutoPacific President George Peterson said there was not a large enough sample size for the Titan, which went on sale late in the survey process, to be included in the ratings.

"Initial indications suggest Titan is an immensely satisfying vehicle near, at, or potentially even above, any other vehicle in the North American market," Peterson said. "As we have said with Nissan's class-leading Armada, which shares chassis, powertrain front clip and front cabin with Titan, this level of customer satisfaction represents a truly remarkable achievement."

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. 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.