The Renault-Nissan Alliance has taken a majority stake in Mitsubishi, making the group one of the top 3 with 10 Million annual sales.

• Enlarged Alliance Ranks Among Top Three Global Automotive Groups

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., (“Nissan”) today completed its acquisition of a 34% equity stake in Mitsubishi Motors (“MMC”) and became its largest shareholder.

MMC will also become part of the global Alliance with Nissan and Renault. With the addition of MMC, the Alliance will be in the world’s top three automotive groups by global volumes, with sales of 10 million units in fiscal year 2016.

Nissan Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn announced that Nissan and MMC would collaborate on joint purchasing, deeper localization, joint plant utilization, common vehicle platforms, technology-sharing and an expansion of the companies’ combined presence in both developed and emerging markets.

“The combination of Nissan, Mitsubishi Motors and Renault will create a new force in global car-making,” said Ghosn. “It will be one of the world’s three largest automotive groups, with the economies of scale, breakthrough technologies and manufacturing capabilities to produce vehicles to serve customer demand in every market segment and in every geographic market around the world.”

Ghosn predicted that through its partnership with MMC, Nissan would target synergy benefits worth 24 billion yen in fiscal year 2017, rising to 60 billion yen in fiscal year 2018 and beyond. The gains will contribute to increased earnings per share worth an estimated 4 yen per share in fiscal year 2017 and 10 yen per share in fiscal year 2018 – on top of any earnings accretion linked to Nissan’s overall shareholding in Mitsubishi Motors.

Nissan offered its assistance at the request of Osamu Masuko, president and chief executive officer of MMC, following the company’s fuel economy crisis. The two companies have cooperated on kei-cars for the Japanese market over the past five years.

“We are committed to assisting Mitsubishi Motors as it rebuilds customer trust,” said Ghosn. “This is a priority as we pursue the synergies and growth potential of our enlarged relationship.”

As part of this strategy, Nissan has nominated four representatives to the Board of MMC, including Ghosn as chairman-elect.

The other nominees are Hitoshi Kawaguchi, chief sustainability officer and head of global external affairs; Hiroshi Karube, global controller and global asset manager; and Mitsuhiko Yamashita, Nissan’s current representative on the Mitsubishi Motors board.

At Masuko’s request, Yamashita joined the company earlier this year as executive vice president of development and as a member of its executive committee.

Ghosn has announced a number of other management changes, effective November 1, to allow him to continue to focus on maintaining Nissan’s momentum in delivering performance, while at the same time supporting Masuko at MMC.

Ghosn has proposed to the Nissan Board, which has approved, the appointment of Hiroto Saikawa, currently chief competitive officer, as co-chief executive officer.

Saikawa will be succeeded as chief competitive officer by Yasuhiro Yamauchi, currently Alliance executive vice president of purchasing.

Veronique Sarlat-Depotte, currently deputy to Yamauchi will assume the responsibility as Alliance executive vice president of purchasing and head of the Renault Nissan Purchasing Organization. She will be supported by Makoto Uchida who will take responsibility for purchasing at Nissan.

Also at the request of Masuko, the management team of MMC will be further strengthened by current Nissan Chief Performance Officer Trevor Mann, who will become chief operating officer of MMC.

Mann will be replaced as chief performance officer by Jose Munoz who will continue as chairman of Nissan’s North American region.

Ghosn concluded: “At a time of unprecedented change in the global auto industry, this strategy will build on our existing strengths and management capabilities to ensure increased competitiveness, better products for our customers and attractive returns for shareholders.”

About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2015, the company sold more than 5.4 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 12.2 trillion yen. Nissan engineers, manufactures and markets the world's best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan manages operations in six regions: ASEAN & Oceania; Africa, Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America and North America. Nissan has a global workforce of 247,500, and has been partnered with French manufacturer Renault under the Renault-Nissan Alliance since March 1999.

USA - 51 Years, 10 Million produced, That will be the everlasting Chevrolet Malibu, Mid-sized car.

Venerable sedan’s 51-year legacy strongest in U.S., China and Korea

Fifty-one years after it was introduced as Chevrolet’s first midsize car, production of the venerable Malibu sedan has crossed the 10-million mark.

Chevrolet celebrated the sales achievement today for the global sedan in the United States, China and Korea, which collectively account for more than 90 percent of sales. The Malibu is sold in more than 25 markets around the world.

“The Chevy Malibu joins an exclusive club of vehicles that have achieved this extraordinary milestone and we acknowledge it today by honoring the common thread linking every one produced: The customer,” said Alan Batey, president, global Chevrolet. 

“Some people are buying their very first Malibu today and others may have driven a Malibu from a different generation as their first car. It is a car that has resonated with customers for more than half a century.”

Chevrolet’s interaction with customers has evolved since the Malibu was introduced in 1964. Back then, an owner’s manual and a personal relationship with the dealer defined conventional customer service. By the 1990s, a toll-free line to call centers provided answers to many customer questions.

Today, customers can communicate with Chevrolet any time of day or night all around the world through in-vehicle technologies such as OnStar and social media, where teams of specialists complement the ownership experience with support and information.

“The immediacy of socially driven technologies is fundamentally changing ownership experiences and what owners expect from the manufacturer,” said Batey. “It’s a whole new world of customer interaction and Chevrolet is working hard to lead the way.”

Malibu’s 10-millionth milestone comes as the all-new 2016 Chevrolet Malibu enters production. The ninth-generation sedan is completely restyled and is the most fuel-efficient, connected and technologically advanced Malibu ever – and many of its new and enhanced features, like its Teen Driver system which encourages safe driving habits for teens, were influenced by the voice of customers.

Longer and lighter, the new Malibu offers more interior space. Its wheelbase has been stretched nearly four inches (101 mm), and it is nearly 300 pounds (136 kg) lighter than the previous model.

The 2016 Malibu reaches an exceptional level of fuel efficiency with an all-new, available hybrid powertrain that uses technology from the Chevrolet Volt. It helps offer a General Motors-estimated 48 mpg city, 45 mpg highway – and 47 mpg combined, unsurpassed in the segment.

The Malibu’s standard 1.5L turbo powertrain is projected to offer 37 mpg highway. It also features a fuel-saving stop/start technology that enhances efficiency in stop-and-go driving.

Additional features include new Chevrolet MyLink with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility; and the all-new Teen Driver feature, which allows parents to view their kids’ driving statistics, such as maximum speed, warning alerts and more.

Malibu through the years

Named after the California city famous for its beaches, the 1964 Chevrolet Malibu was the top-line model of an all-new vehicle line touted as a premium choice for families that needed space and efficiency for long commutes.

Chevrolet called the Malibu an “intermediate” car – positioned between the full-size series and the compact Chevy II, It represented the birth of the mainstream midsize segment, which has grown to be the highest-volume segment in the industry. 

Customers snapped up more than 370,000 in the first year from a lineup that also included the entry-level 300 and Chevelle models, and a range of body styles that included coupes, sedans, wagons and convertibles. The lineup also included the Malibu SS muscle car.

Sales of Chevy’s upstart intermediate range topped 503,000 by 1969 – with the popular Malibu two-door sport coupe accounting for 300,000 of them.

Malibu rolled through the 1970s as one of the best-selling cars of the decade. It was retired in 1983, after its fourth generation. It returned in 1997 as a modern, front-drive sedan and was named Motor Trend Car of the Year. 

In the nearly 20 years since, it has evolved and offers the latest in efficiency-enhancing technologies, safety features and, more recently, the connectivity features that have become increasingly important to customers.

The 2016 Malibu is built at the GM Fairfax Assembly facility, in Kansas City, Kan.

MEXICO - Nissan celebrates the 10 million model to be made at the Mexican plants.

After almost five decades since the start of operations of Nissan in Mexico, the Japanese automaker has achieved a new milestone: producing the 10 millionth vehicle in Mexico. 

This figure represents the joint efforts of the three manufacturing facilities established in the country, which altogether combine an annual production capacity of more than 800k units.

The 10 millionth unit was an Electric Blue Nissan Sentra SR built in Aguascalientes A1 Plant. This unit has been assigned to a dealership in Toluca, Estado de Mexico, where a Nissan customer will happily own this milestone vehicle.

During the calendar year 2014, Nissan produced 805,871 units in México, which represents an annual 18.47 percent increase, also establishing an all-time record and getting us closer to the goal of producing one million units per year.

Nissan started assembling vehicles in Mexico in 1966 when it began producing the Datsun Bluebird in CIVAC Plant, Morelos. This manufacturing facility was the company's first plant to be built outside Japan and just recently celebrated its 49th Anniversary.

In 1982 Nissan expanded its operations to the center of the country by opening the Powertrain Plant in Aguascalientes, and 10 years later the vehicle manufacturing complex Aguascalientes A1. The first production model out of this plant was a Nissan Tsubame, which was exported to Japan, and a bit later the Nissan Tsuru for both domestic and export markets.

In 2013, Nissan celebrated the opening of Aguascalientes A2 plant, a benchmark for the Corporation due to its diverse accomplishments such as achieving its maximum capacity after only 19 weeks of its start of operations, with 613 vehicles manufactured every day.

Nissan Mexicana reached its first five million units produced over 40 years of operations (1966-2006); nevertheless, it took only nine years to double this figure thanks to the enhancement of manufacturing processes, the development and implementation of cutting-edge technologies, and even more important, the passion and commitment of more than 14,500 employees.

With its 10 millionth vehicle produced in Mexico, Nissan strengthens its commitment with efficiency, quality and high productivity, setting a new goal to produce over 820k units in FY15 and reach, in the near future, an annual capacity of one million units.