NISSAN has announced that the widely anticipated new Nissan LEAF will come with e-Pedal, a revolutionary technology that transforms the way we drive.

With the flip of a switch, the technology turns your accelerator into an e-Pedal, allowing drivers to accelerate, decelerate and stop using just the e-Pedal[1]. e-Pedal technology is the world’s first one-pedal operation that allows drivers to bring the car to a complete stop even on hills, stay in position, and resume driving instantly.

Drivers can cover 90% of their driving needs with the e-Pedal, making the process of driving more exciting. In heavy traffic and during city commutes, drivers will greatly reduce the need to shift from one pedal to the other, making your drive simpler and more engaging.

The e-Pedal technology represents another key milestone in Nissan’s ongoing commitment to bring accessible, advanced driver assistance technologies to the mainstream. Set to make driving safer and more enjoyable, the development of these technologies is part of Nissan Intelligent Mobility, the company’s blueprint for transforming how cars are driven, powered and integrated into society.

By launching the Nissan LEAF, the world’s first mass-market electric vehicle, Nissan established itself as pioneer in the EV movement. Today the Nissan LEAF is the world’s best-selling electric vehicle, with more than 277,000 sold worldwide.

First Quarter 2017 Results

Nissan Motor Co. generated an operating profit of 153.3 billion yen on net revenues of 2.76 trillion yen in three months to June 30, 2017.

Overall, results were in line with the company’s expectations for the first quarter and the company expects improved profitability for the remainder of the year driven by its product cadence.

On a management pro forma basis, which includes the proportionate consolidation of results from Nissan’s joint venture operation in China, operating profit was 185.7 billion yen on net revenues of 3.03 trillion yen, representing a margin of 6.1%.

For the first quarter, Nissan total unit sales were 1.351 million units, an increase of 5%. Sales in Japan continued to improve following the resumption of Kei car sales and encouraging strong demand for registered vehicles, including models such as the Note e-POWER and the Serena with ProPILOT autonomous drive technology. Nissan saw unit sales rise by 45.6% to 131,000 units, resulting in a market share improvement of 2.6 points to 10.9%.

In the US., Nissan’s sales increased 1.2% to 403,000, equivalent to a market share increase of 0.4 points to 9.1%, amid continued demand for SUVs including the Rogue and recently launched Rogue Sport.

Nissan unit sales in China, which reports figures on a calendar year basis, increased 5.3% to 314,000 units. The market share in China was flat at 4.7% for the quarter.

In Europe, including Russia, Nissan’s sales totaled 185,000 units, an increase of 1.1%. Excluding Russia, Nissan’s sales decreased 0.2% to 162,000 units due primarily to planned model changeovers. Nissan’s market share in Europe was flat at 3.6%.

In other markets, including Asia and Oceania, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, Nissan’s sales increased 1.2% to 188,000 units despite volatile demand in some markets.

As previously stated this past May, the company expects to sell 5.83 million units in fiscal 2017 as models such as the Rogue Sport, refreshed Qashqai and X-Trail, Kicks, Navara, and the all-new Nissan LEAF are expected to contribute to sales growth for the year as a whole.

Given this outlook, the company has maintained its fiscal-year forecasts. Calculated under the equity accounting method for Nissan’s joint venture in China, the forecasts for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018 remain:

Nissan also continues to forecast a 10.4% increase in the dividend to 53 yen per share for fiscal year 2017.

Since the beginning of fiscal year 2013, Nissan has reported figures calculated under the equity method accounting for its joint venture with Dong Feng in China. Although net income reporting remains unchanged under this accounting method, the equity-accounting income statements no longer include Dong-Feng-Nissan’s results in revenues and operating profit. — SG