Tom Semple Retiring as NDA President

SAN DIEGO--Sept. 14, 2004--After 24 years of dedicated service to Nissan, Tom Semple has announced he will retire as President of Nissan Design America, Inc., effective Sept. 30, 2004.

Semple's duties will be undertaken by new NDA senior management members. The following organizational changes at NDA will be effective Oct. 1, 2004:

-- Bruce Campbell, currently Director of Design, will become Vice President of Design.

-- Victor Nacif has been named Vice President, Design Business Aspects.

"Tom's vision, passion, artistic skill and humor will be missed at Nissan design worldwide," said Shiro Nakamura, Senior Vice President, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Nakamura will assume the position of NDA president in addition to his responsibility as the Head of Global Nissan Design.

Semple was recruited from General Motors Corp. in 1980 as part of the original design team at Nissan Design International, which NDA was known as originally.

His passion for design helped shape the Maxima, Xterra, the Nissan Hardbody pickup truck, the Pathfinder sports-utility vehicle and the original Quest minivan, which, in 1992, was the first vehicle to win ID Magazine's annual Design Review's Gold Award in the consumer products category.

Semple was appointed Director of Design in October 1992 and President in July 2000.

Nissan Design America is the automaker's North American design arm with studios in San Diego, Calif., and Farmington Hills, Mich. Those studios are in the midst of significant expansions to enhance exploratory and production design activities.

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