As the year comes to an end soon, we wanted to take a look back at the wrap up of 2013 brought Nissan.
In January 2013, Nissan began manufacturing the LEAF, Nissan’s first all-electric car, in the Smyrna, Tenn. plant.
“Bringing assembly of the innovative 2013 Nissan LEAF to our award-winning manufacturing plant speaks to the flexibility, efficiency and talent of our U.S. workforce,” said Susan Brennan, Nissan’s vice president of manufacturing in Smyrna. “Nissan has a 30-year history of building quality vehicles in Smyrna, and just like every vehicle we produce, the LEAF has met or exceeded every one of our rigorous quality requirements.”
In June 2013, the 2014 Nissan Note hit showrooms across the country, starting at $13,990. Following the redesign of the Altima, Pathfinder and Sentra, the Note was the fourth new product for Nissan. The Versa Note joins the second-generation Versa Sedan and is “aggressively designed, equipped, packaged and priced, serving notice to the competition that Nissan intends to remain the key player in the Entry segment for a long time to come,” said Fred Diaz, divisional vice president, Nissan Sales & Marketing.
Diaz continued by saying, “With class-leading fuel economy, cutting-edge technologies, an energetic exterior design, roomy and versatile interior and available activity enhancing features such as Pandora radio compatibility and hands-free text messaging assistant, Versa Note is an ideal fit for today’s buyers needs.”
In July 2013, the LEAF reached its 100,000th Electric Vehicle sold in the U.S. This vehicle was sold in Atlanta, Georgia on July 24, 2013 to Allison Howard.
“It’s economical. It is something I could afford as a college student. It drives perfectly. It’s so cool, and that’s why I wanted to get a LEAF,” said Howard.
In August 2013, Nissan announced their benchmarks for Autonomous Drive and by the end of November, the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, took the Nissan LEAF on its first road test.
A lot more has happened this year, but we’re looking forward to what 2014 will bring Bates Nissan and Nissan as a whole.
What was your most enjoyable moment of 2013? Tell us below in the comments section!