WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn participated in an interview at 1776, a startup incubator located in Washington, DC. 1776 is focused on helping high-growth startups in education, energy and sustainability, health, transportation and cities. The audience included media, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and policymakers. The interview was intended to help inform and influence investors and policymakers on mobility trends to support Nissan’s business objectives.
Ghosn described the future of mobility and how automakers and startups can work together on the technology “bricks” for products and services that surround the car, like ride-sharing. He also spoke on the kinds of talent Nissan is bringing in, from software developers to security specialists.
Below is a full video of the event and some excerpts.
Working with startups and entrepreneurs around the world
Ghosn: “All the tech companies are zooming to three indispensable places that humans can’t afford to get rid of: house, car and telephone. The technological bricks are the responsibilities of each carmaker, but we don’t have to do everything ourselves. We maintain internally the technology that doesn’t exist or that we can do much better. When we buy a startup, it is because we detect talent inside that we need.”
On the role of policy
Ghosn: “You need rules. We are spending a lot of time with different governments testing autonomous cars so that the regulator understands the technology, which is coming so they can prepare for what’s allowed and what’s not. It’s not coordinated; the U.S., Japan, France and every city and every country deal with the local government for authorization. For example, in Japan we are selling the Serena minivan with ProPilot, which allows you to drive on the highway in one lane. The Japanese government allows people to take hands off the wheel. If not, it is just pure cost to you. So it is important to work with regulators on the conditions to benefit from autonomy.”
On the NASA technology for autonomous drive
Ghosn: “AI is still way below the creativity of the human brain. It needs to be able to follow the rules without putting it in danger – and for the moment even NASA has not been able to solve this. You need a human, but it is limited.”
On automakers and ride sharing
Ghosn: “Nobody knows exactly where the market is going; it’s much more about experimentation than anything else. Let’s make sure that we are putting some investment to align ourselves, but in my opinion this is much more about testing and checking and trying, much more than a full conviction [on where ride sharing is headed].”
About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan’s operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized annually by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year since 2010. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at NissanUSA.com and InfinitiUSA.com, or visit the U.S. media sites NissanNews.com and InfinitiNews.com.
About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2015, the company sold more than 5.4 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 12.2 trillion yen. Nissan engineers, manufactures and markets the world’s best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan manages operations in six regions: ASEAN Oceania; Africa, Middle East India; China; Europe; Latin America and North America. Nissan has been partnered with French manufacturer Renault since 1999 and Mitsubishi Motors since 2016 under the Renault-Nissan Alliance.
For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/. You can also follow @NissanMotor on Twitter.
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Contact
Josh Clifton
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
Office: 615-725-1767
josh.clifton@nissan-usa.com