Nissan’s new technology

Today, I went to visit the new Nissan Advanced Technology Center , where the automaker is concocting the latest technology like cars that produce no pollution and cars that are smart enough to avoid collisions.
The place is very futuristic looking with a lot of light and open spaces, presumably to encourage collaboration (in style).
The cafeteria looks down into a pond.
It’s a beautiful work environment.
What stands out is that the engineers are brimming with pride.
Nissan went through some hard times.
But it looks like it’s come roaring back since entering the 1999 alliance with Renault.
It’s investing in the future by investing in technology.

Toyota on road to No. 1

Numbers for the first quarter show that Toyota beat General Motors in global vehicle quarterly sales for the first time ever.
That’s a milestone for the Japanese automaker.
And the odds are something like 9-1 that Toyota will do that for the whole year.
The contest is already won in profitability.
Toyota is rolling in cash while GM is losing money the last couple of years.
GM has been the world’s No. 1 automaker _ i.e., in number of vehicles produced globally per year _ for 76 years.
This past week was earnings time for Japanese automakers _ Nissan and Honda.
Toyota reports earnings in May.