Nissan announces production of modern 3-cylinder, 1-liter engine at its Resende Industrial Complex's powertrain plant in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

• Project was granted a R$ 100 million investment
• Engine will equip a second vehicle model to be made at the industrial site starting in 2015: the Nissan New Versa
• Creation of 25 new direct jobs

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – During a visit to Nissan Brazil's headquarters in downtown Rio, Carlos Ghosn, President and CEO of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., announced a new and modern 3-cylinder, 1-liter engine will be made at its powertrain plant located at its Resende Industrial Complex in Rio de Janeiro State. The new engine will require a R$100 million investment.

The new 3-cylinder 1-liter engine will share the assembly line with the 1.6-liter engine, which has been produced since Nissan started operations at its Resende Industrial Complex in April 2014. More than 25 professionals have been hired to assemble the new engine, thus enhancing the powertrain unit's headcount of approximately 200 people.

"The production of a new 3-cylinder engine in Brazil demonstrates that Nissan is determined to boost its presence in the domestic market, with modern, innovative products made locally. Therefore, we increased the local content ratio of our products in order to further competitiveness," said Ghosn.

The 3-cylinder, 1-liter engine delivers 76 horsepower and 98 Nm of torque both on gas or ethanol. It will equip the new car that will start to be manufactured at the Resende Industrial Plant, the Nissan New Versa sedan. The model will share the assembly line with the Nissan New March and the March Active. With an aluminum block, 4 valves per cylinder and high-end technological features, Nissan's new engine has one of the best energy efficiency in Brazil with high performance and low CO2 emissions.

Resende Powertrain Plant
Located at Nissan's Industrial Complex in the Southern Rio de Janeiro State, the Resende Powertrain Plant has the capacity to produce 200,000 engines a year and follows strong guiding principles aimed at sustainable production. For example, the assembly line has cutting-edge electrical equipment to improve operators' well being while avoiding oil leaks, thus protecting the environment. 

Making high-precision equipment requires a tough quality control. As a result, the assembly line has four portals where component quality is checked. One hundred percent of the engines undergo a final operation test, as well as a CO2 emission test; the local industry usually performs sample testing. Everything was made to ensure that Nissan's Brazilian engines offer premium quality.

The local production of engines is part of a comprehensive hub project adopted at Nissan's Industrial Complex in Resende.

Nissan's Industrial Complex in Resende
Totaling investments of R$2.6 billion (US$1.5 billion), operations at the Brazilian Industrial Complex range from a stamping shop to test tracks and includes a body shop, paint shop, plastic injection molding and paint shop, assembly shop, a powertrain plant, and quality inspection.

The Nissan Resende complex produces Nissan's "Platform V" vehicles and engines. The facility employs about 1,500 people and has total capacity to produce 200,000 vehicles and 200,000 engines per year.

The principles of ensuring that Nissan's Industrial Complex in Resende is sustainable and environmentally friendly go beyond improved assembly equipment and advanced processes to the original design of the buildings and the entire infrastructure. The buildings showcase natural illumination and ventilation systems. Production processes also reuse water by filtering solids for recycling or proper disposal.

Outside the walls of the plant, a "green belt" is been planted to surround the entire complex, which will help to reducing both emissions and noise. The belt will reflect the region's natural habitat and occupy an area of more than 12 acres. Nissan also has committed to investing in the preservation of green areas in the region with reforestation in some habitats. The company will create an environmental preserve for the Turfeira Lagoon located next to its industrial complex, which is fundamental to maintaining biodiversity and an ecosystem that's required for the survival of more than 150 species of birds.

About Nissan Brazil
Present in Brazil since 2000, Nissan currently employs 1,800 workers and operates with 166 dealers across the country. Nissan produces in São Jose dos Pinhais, Paraná state, since 2002 and invested R$ 2.6 billion (U$ 1.5 bi) to build the new plant in the country, in Resende City, in Rio de Janeiro State. Launched on April 15 in 2014 the new industrial complex has capacity to produce 200,000 cars, starting with Nissan New March, and 200,000 engines per year. Underlining its commitment to the country, Nissan of Brazil is official sponsor of the Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic Games Rio 2016™. This partnership includes the supply of about 5,000 vehicles of various types that will meet the needs of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Rio 2016™ and Team Brazil. This fleet will prioritize clean energy (ethanol or electricity), supporting the Rio 2016™ efforts to achieve the sustainability goals of the Games.

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