January 13, 2007

NISSAN BREAKS GROUND FOR NEW GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS

TOKYO (Jan. 13, 2007)—Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., today held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new global headquarters, scheduled for completion in late 2009. Located in the Minato-Mirai 21 district of Yokohama City, the new facility will accommodate over 2,500 employees.

Construction of the new building begins immediately, marking a historic milestone in the company’s 73-year history as Nissan starts the journey from Tokyo back to the bustling port that saw the birth of Jidosha Seizo Co., Ltd., which was the company’s original founding name when it was established in 1933.

“The new headquarters will be at the heart of our global value-creation efforts for Nissan,” said Nissan President and CEO, Carlos Ghosn. “I want to recognize the support and goodwill of the people of Yokohama and Kanagawa Prefecture. We recognize that returning back to our birthplace is important for our employees but also for the community in which we now will become a much more significant part,” continued Ghosn.

The new headquarters will comprise 22 office-floors including the ground and mezzanine levels, reaching a height of 99 meters and overlooking the western coast of Tokyo Bay. It will encompass a total floor space of 80,000m².

In late 2005, the Takenaka Corporation and renowned architect Yoshio Taniguchi were appointed to design the new facility. Construction will be lead by the Shimizu Corporation, also appointed in 2005.

The ground floor will be dedicated as a showroom and gallery to showcase Nissan’s global products, technology and corporate heritage. A new pedestrian bridge will connect the second-floor above the showroom gallery to the Yokohama Station and the Minato-Mirai 21 commercial district, allowing easy commuting for Nissan employees as well as visitors to the area. A 600-seater auditorium will also be part of the gallery area and will be used by the company and for community events and activities.

The new facility has been designed to provide an open, spacious and productive environment for employees. It was also designed with teamwork in mind and to be an “intelligent office” that allows for seamless communications between different floors and departments, leading to a more efficient and cross-functional working environment.

Environmental considerations factor prominently into the building’s architecture, including efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and promote energy conservation. The new headquarters will meet the highest environmental requirements under the “S” or “excellent” rating standards of the CASBEE (Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency) certification, and will rank as one of the most advanced and futuristic architectural structures in Japan.

Last year, Nissan opened its new global design center within the Nissan Technical Center (in Atsugi City), to serve as a technical and development base for the company. This spring, the Nissan Technical Center and the Nissan Advanced Technology Center (NATC) are scheduled to begin joint operations.

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