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All-New Nissan Z Sports Car and Radical 'Alpha Truck' Concepts

5 January 2001

All-New Nissan Z Sports Car and Radical 'Alpha Truck' Concepts

              Debut at Detroit Auto Show - Live Webcast Planned

    GARDENA, Calif., Jan. 5 On January 8, at the 2001 North
American International Auto Show in Detroit, Nissan North America, Inc. will
reveal two stunning concept vehicles -- the all-new, next generation Nissan Z
sports car and the alpha T (Alpha Truck) Concept.
    Nissan will provide a live webcast of the announcement press conference
beginning at 12:10 p.m. EST on Monday, January 8, 2001.  The webcast is
accessible at http://www.nissandriven.com.
    The introductions come at a time of tremendous momentum for Nissan,
following the November 20, 2000 announcement of dramatically improved
financial results of $1.24 billion operating profit for the first six months
of its fiscal year.
    Nissan also recently announced plans to expand its engine and transaxle
plant in Decherd, Tenn., and to maximize vehicle production capacity
utilization at its Smyrna, Tenn., vehicle assembly plant.  Nissan will invest
approximately $1 billion over the next four years on this project and will
increase its capacity from 380,000 to 510,000 vehicles.  In addition, Nissan
will build a $930 million manufacturing plant in Canton, Miss.  The Canton
plant will have a 250,000 annual capacity and will produce a full-size truck,
full-size SUV and the next generation minivan.
    The new Nissan Z is scheduled to go on sale in the United States and
Canada in mid-2002 as a 2003 model.  With its dramatic styling and powerful V6
engine, it is designed to be as revolutionary as the original Datsun 240Z was
when it was introduced more than 30 years earlier.
    The alpha T Concept is an extreme design exercise, one of several created
to stimulate consumer discussion while clearly marking the intent of Nissan's
upcoming entry into the full-size truck market.  The show truck is a follow-up
to last spring's announcement that Nissan will produce a full-size, V8-powered
U.S.-assembled truck model within the next few years.
    Also scheduled to be unveiled at the Detroit press conference is the
2002 Nissan Sentra SE-R sports sedan.  Like the Z, the Sentra SE-R returns to
Nissan showrooms after a brief break in production.  An all-new 2.5-liter
4-cylinder powers the new SE-R, which also includes aggressive body and
interior modifications.