Nissan North America Begins Production of 2005 Frontier; Pickup Truck Moves to Midsize Status

SMYRNA, Tenn.--Oct. 2, 20040, 2004--The first 2005 Nissan Frontier rolled off the assembly line today at Nissan North America's Smyrna manufacturing plant, moving up to the midsize pickup truck class and marking the second truck-based product launch for the Tennessee facility this year.

"This 2005 Frontier is another milestone for us," said Dan Gaudette, senior vice president of North American Manufacturing and Quality Assurance for Nissan North America, Inc. "We opened this plant in 1983 with a compact pickup truck which, by 1997, had evolved into the Frontier pickup. Today, we're launching the third generation Frontier, with more power, more size, and more than a passing resemblance to its cousin, the Titan full-size pickup truck. We're excited about the future of this great truck."

The new Frontier, which will be offered in both King Cab and Crew Cab body styles and 4x2 and 4x4 driveline configurations, is built on the same platform as the Titan. The construction will mean more off-road capability, towing, cargo hauling capacity, utility and comfort. It will also mean a number of features similar to the Titan, including a spray-in bedliner and the Utili-Track Channel cargo system.

Also like the Titan, the Frontier will provide strong acceleration and power due to a new 4.0-liter DOHC V6 engine producing 265 horsepower and 284 lb-ft of torque. Based on the award-winning Nissan VQ engine series found in the Nissan 350Z, Nissan Maxima and Infiniti G35 sedans and built at the company's Decherd, Tennessee assembly plant, the engine is specifically tuned for the unique demands of truck use.

"Our manufacturing team has done a great job getting ready to build this newest Nissan truck," Gaudette said. "With increases in the vehicle's exterior and interior dimensions, this generation Frontier has truly grown up. And I'm confident our customers are going to like its look and feel."

The all-new Frontier is the second of three truck-based vehicles to be launched at the Smyrna plant this year. In August, the all-new 2005 Nissan Pathfinder midsize SUV was unveiled and early next year the Smyrna team will launch the 2005 Xterra compact SUV.

Nissan has invested more than $4.2 billion in its three U.S. manufacturing facilities. In addition to the Frontier, the Smyrna plant builds the Maxima sports sedan, the Altima midsize sedan, the Xterra compact SUV and the Pathfinder midsize SUV. The Canton, Miss., assembly plant produces the Nissan Quest minivan, Altima midsize sedan, the Armada full-size SUV, Titan full-size truck, and the Infiniti QX56 full-size SUV. In Decherd, Tenn., Nissan builds engines for all U.S.-produced Nissan and Infiniti vehicles and assembles transaxles.

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.