2011 Nissan NV Debuts at NTEA Work Truck Show; Breakthrough DesignBrings New Thinking to CV Van Segment

– Nissan Enters North American Commercial Vehicle Market with Innovative Standard and High Roof Vans Designed to “Help Businesses Run Better” –

As Nissan finalizes plans to bring its first production commercial vehicle (CV) to the NorthAmerican market in late 2010, it is starting with a truly ground up design – from its ruggedladder frame to the roof rack mounting brackets on the top of the innovatively conceived andstyled body. Yet the all-new Nissan NV (Nissan Van) also has the advantage of Nissan’sexceptional commercial vehicle heritage, covering 75 years and more than 75 percent of theglobal CV market.“The new kid on the block, as it turns out, is also a long-time player in the global commercialvehicle market. As the first non-domestic nameplate to design, manufacture and sell CVs in theUnited States, we bring a more than seven-decade tradition of durability, quality and reliability toour products,” said Joe Castelli, vice president, Commercial Vehicles and Fleet, Nissan NorthAmerica, Inc. (NNA). “At the same time, we’ve taken a fresh look at every aspect of the CVbusiness – including styling, powertrain, interiors, cost of operation and ownership, dealershipsales and service operations and, most importantly, real world customer needs.”The first production models in Nissan’s new North American CV lineup are the 2011 NissanNV1500, NV2500 HD and NV3500 HD. They will be available with a choice of 4.0-liter V6 and5.6-liter V8 engines and in two body styles, Standard Roof (all models) and High Roof (NV2500HD and NV3500 HD only) – with High Roof models offering stand-up walkthrough/work cargoarea capability.“It’s been too many years since any manufacturer in this segment has taken a ’clean sheet’ lookat the needs of owners and operators in the CV segment,” said Castelli. “We’ve invested morethan five years researching the comfort, style and smart functionality demands that will enablebusiness owners to accomplish more throughout their day. We plan on coming out of the boxwith segment-busting vehicles, so customer input was essential.”The NV planning team employed a wide range of innovative customer research methodologies,including focus groups, on-site visits and concept reviews. The quantitative and qualitativeresearch took place all across America – Los Angeles, Chicago, New Jersey, Dallas, Detroit,New York, Minnesota, Arizona and other markets. The team met with large fleet owners andmanagers, small business owners, aftermarket suppliers and converters and rode along withowners of competitive vehicles.“The NV is one of the most researched projects ever in the history of Nissan. We touched themarket at every point possible, with the findings reflected in every aspect of the final NVdesign,” added Castelli.

Comfortable Seating and Standing

Research showed that commercial van owners are the least satisfied of any vehicle segment, withmany van owners disposing of their vehicles in favor of light duty trucks despite the compromiseof convenience and utility. In developing the new Nissan NV, one of the overarching goals wasto combine pickup truck-like comfort, interior amenities and drivability with a cargo van’scapacity and security.“Looking at the CV market in recent years, there’s been a migration of van users to light-dutypickups due to the lack of comfort, image and dependability of the current outdated vanplatforms,” explained Castelli. “Yet many of these truck owners admit they need a van forweather protection, security and the convenience of a tall roof van to carry large items orequipment. With the Nissan NV, we’re giving them the best of both worlds.”Answering one of the major unmet owner needs – driver comfort and roominess – the NissanNV interior starts with wide front doors for easy ingress and egress, supportive bucket seatingwith extensive adjustability, large armrests and a truck-like driving position with ample legroomand foot room. The available center console (removable) provides a range of integrated storagefeatures, while the fold-down passenger seat – which is unique to the segment – adds worktablefunctionality and enhances the cab’s feeling of openness.Another major contributor to the pickup-like cab is the absence of the traditional CV engine“doghouse” that intrudes into the cab due to the setback engine placement. The Nissan NVutilizes a conventional truck engine layout with the engine and transmission located ahead of thefirewall/A-pillar. This not only frees up space under the instrument panel and between the seats,it also provides easy under-hood access to the entire engine for routine service and maintenance.“From the seats forward the NV looks, acts and feels like a pickup. You don’t have to take apartthe interior to access the engine and you don’t have to worry about tucking your work boots intoa cramped footwell,” said Castelli. “But, make no mistake, behind the seats the NV is pure,practical van.”The NV’s ample cargo area offers a 120.7-inch cargo floor length and 70.3-inch maximum cargofloor width. NV Standard Roof models offer a maximum 55.4 cargo area height, among thetallest in class. The NV High Roof provides a maximum 76.5-inches of cargo room height –enough for most users to move about the cargo area while standing up straight.“Standard Roof NV models are designed to fit in most garages or go through most car washesand fast food drive-through lanes – along with offering easier reach to access roof racks,” saidCastelli. “But for so many businesses, the added cargo capacity and the ability to stand up andwork inside the High Roof NV will be a priceless enhancement to their everyday operations andproductivity.”

Smart Functionality and Flexible Layout

Inspired by customer needs and usage, the Nissan NV offers an amazing array of smartfunctionality features, including storage pockets, spaces and compartments designed to providesecure access to the typical commercial customers’ everyday use objects. An under seat drawer,

for example, fits small tools, stationary or first aid kits, while the deep door pockets fitflashlights, legal-size binders and clipboards. High Roof models offer an available overheadconsole designed to hold work gloves, legal size binders, safety glasses and system books. Theavailable center console (removable) fits letter size files and laptop computers – and includes acomputer or mobile phone charging point.“A commercial van must serve many more functions today, including acting as a mobile officefor time spent on the road or at a job site,” said Castelli. “We’ve made storage and productivityitems integral to the design, rather than tacked-on afterthoughts. The result is a clean, practicaland comfortable workspace for a wide variety of professions and businesses.”Along with being conceived as a “mobile office,” the Nissan NV is designed to function as a“mobile workshop” – thanks to its simple, flexible cargo area layout. Along with offering widedoor openings, the NV offers room between the wheelhouses to accommodate standard plywoodor drywall sheets or pallets. There are also a range of cargo area tie-down rings and ample cargoarea lighting.The new Nissan NV was also designed to accommodate aftermarket outfitting and modifications.For example, the roof rack mounting brackets are designed for various rack systems withoutpiercing holes in the roof, which can lead to corrosion and water leaks. The available “upfitterpre-wiring” allows easy access into the electrical system.The NV also offers a full-length cargo area inner panel to protect the outer walls from dents anddings from the inside, and there are multiple weld-nut attachment points for shelving and racks –again requiring no sheet metal drilling. In addition, the NV’s nearly vertical sidewalls maximizethe usable cargo space, accommodating common aftermarket storage systems, as well as abulkhead behind the driver.

Three Well-Equipped Models

Cost of ownership and operation is a critical factor in the CV segment, whether for major ﬂeetoperations or individual business owners. “From the rugged fully boxed all-steel frame to thebody-on-chassis construction, the NV is designed to the highest Nissan standards of durability,quality and reliability,” said Castelli. “The NV is designed to be affordable and to stand up to theabuse that real work trucks face everyday.”The new Nissan NV will launch with a choice of two engines – a powerful yet fuel efﬁcient 4.0-liter V6 or a powerful, torquey 5.6-liter V8. Both engines will be matched to a standard 5-speedautomatic.Safety systems include the Nissan Advanced Air Bag System (includes dual-stage frontsupplemental air bags with seat belt sensors), 3-point front seat belts with pretensioners and loadlimiters, available supplemental front seat-mounted side-impact air bags and roof-mountedsupplemental curtain air bags.The 2011 Nissan NV will be offered in three well-equipped models, the NV1500, NV2500 HDand NV3500 HD. All three models will be available with the Standard Roof, while the High