Nissan to focus on low-emission cars in next five years

TOKYO ? Nissan Motor Co., Japan's third-largest automaker, will focus on developing low-emissions vehicles over the next five years to challenge rivals Toyota Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co.

The company's new midterm business plan also includes an emphasis on emerging markets, spokesman Sadayuki Hamaguchi said. The plan will be officially announced next month.

Nissan, which lags behind Toyota and Honda, Japan's biggest automakers, in the hybrid vehicle segment, plans to introduce the lower-emission cars in the U.S. and Japan in 2010. The company also is competing in China, Russia and India where economic growth is spurring demand for automobiles.

The five-year plan replaces Nissan's traditional three-year time frame and drops long-term sales targets for annual ones, Hamaguchi said. The Nikkei newspaper reported the plan earlier, citing Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn, who questioned the usefulness of five-year sales targets.