Not sure if any of these are ear marked for CA:
Nissan to Produce 80 Percent ULEV Cars by 2003
Nissan Motor Company recently announced that it wants 80 percent of its domestic passenger car sales to be ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV) by March 2003. To achieve this goals, the automaker said it plans to develop 3,000 cubic-centimeter continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) which will be fitted to passenger vehicles next model year. 

According to Japan's Ministry of Transportation, ULEV vehicles produce emissions levels 75 percent lower than the "acceptable emissions level" established by the government in 2000. Last year, Nissan's Bluebird Sylphy received government certification as a ULEV. Currently, sales of the Sylphy comprise six percent of Nissan's domestic passenger car sales. 

Nissan said when its ULEV passenger cars make up 80 percent of its total sales, overall emissions of hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from its vehicles will be reduced by 85 percent, compared with FY 95 emissions levels. 

The company noted that it has concerns about producing hybrid electric vehicles because "they do not garner profit." Nissan president Carlos Ghosn said it is meaningless to produce vehicles that do not make money. Instead,the company plans to introduce fuel cell-powered vehicles by 2006. 


Mary Schoen
Environmental Strategies
Enron Corp
415.782.7803 (phone)
415.782.7854 (fax)