September 25, 2007

NISSAN OPENS NEW "GRANDRIVE" PROVING GROUND IN OPPAMA

Tokyo (Sept. 25, 2007) – Nissan today opened its new “Grandrive” vehicle proving ground, located in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Grandrive has been designed to support vehicle evaluation and testing for engineering development and to showcase the driving dynamics of Nissan products to employees, dealers and other stakeholders. The Grandrive project begun construction in May 2006 with an investment of 2.7 billion yen ($23 million).

The four-kilometer course simulates a diverse range of driving conditions from rough surfaces to uneven terrains to expressway roads, allowing drivers to experience the handling, control and vehicle dynamics that Nissan’s is renowned. The course incorporates a slippery low-µ (coefficient of friction) road segment and a new multipurpose 100m-diameter drive-pad.

The Grandrive multi-purpose complex allows for vehicle technical evaluations and hospitality events such as technology exhibitions and test drives.

Nissan has three other proving ground facilities in Japan - Hokkaido, Tochigi and Motegi – and a hot weather test facility in Arizona, USA.

By 2009, Nissan will move its headquarters to Yokohama in the Kanagawa prefecture. The locale of the Grandrive adjacent to its Oppama Plant is yet another long-term investment by Nissan in Kanagawa, in addition to the Yokohama engine plant, the Nissan Technical Center (NTC) and Nissan Advanced Technical Center (NATC).

Factsheet: Grandrive

• Location:1 Natsujima, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Area:Approximately 450,000m²
• Facilities:Road courses:
  • Tokyo expressway uneven section
  • Unmaintained road (partly cracked surface)
  • Road noise section
  • Curvy road
  • Up and down corners

Lowµ (coefficient of friction) road

Vehicle Evaluation Annex (“Event Hall”)

Note: Amount in dollars are translated for the convenience of the reader only at the foreign exchange rate of 115 yen/dollars.

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