Introduction:
Nissan Motor Company Ltd (Nissan) is Japanese Company engaged in the automotive industry worldwide. The Company, including its associated brands, designs, produces and sells more than 3.7 million passenger cars and commercial vehicles in more than 190 countries. The Company's major production sites are located in Japan, with additional facilities located in the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Spain. In 1999, the Company established an alliance with Renault SA, a French automobile manufacturer. The alliance is designed to achieve profitable and balanced growth for the two partners through the creation of a bi-national group.

Situation Analysis:
The Nissan leaf is revolutionizing how the world gets from point A to point B. No tail pipe, no emissions and no gas, just a plug. Consumers will find there will be no major changes to their driving habits with its 100 mile range and easy charging. The charging infrastructure for electric vehicles will be improved in the coming year and technology has advanced so that electric vehicles can sustain themselves in everyday driving. Our marketing plan will narrow down consumers and find our niche in the new category of
EVs and guarantee long-term sales, immediate awareness, and ensure excellent positioning. Strengths:
Zero-emissions vehicle - The Leaf isn't a hybrid car, it's completely electric, it has no gasoline or diesel powered engine to supplement for power. Electric vehicles (EV's) utilize no fossil fuels, so there are no emissions whatsoever.
Instant power - Electric motors produce 100% of their torque at zero RPM. This results in instant acceleration with no lag.
Tax credit - Buyers should be able to take advantage of a tax credit in 2011 up to $7,500 from the government for purchasing a new alternative vehicle.

Weaknesses:
Battery price- Although Nissan offers a battery lease, the total price still amounts about
$7000.
Less powerful - Electric cars have less power than cars with fossil fuel engines. Although EV's have fast acceleration--they have maximum torque from zero rpm. However, the Leaf tops out at over 80 mph, not a speed demon by any stretch of the imagination. Opportunities:
Charge grid- There are firms in select cities currently investing in charge stations to make the roads able EV friendly.
Cost of fossil fuels- The rising cost of fossil fuels is a concern for everybody. The LEAF prevents you from ever visiting the pump again.
Go green- There is an obvious shift occurring in our society to become more ecofriendly and the LEAF is an obvious fit with zero emissions made from many recycled materials.

Consumer Evaluation:
Market segmentation analysis- Because of the release of the Chevy Volt, the EV
Market has been split. One look at both cars and their marketing will tell you that different people will be driving them. Women make the car purchasing decision more than men, so our customers will be primarily women, fairly wealthy, intelligent, style setting and generally politically liberal. They must be receptive to new technology and a little bit trendy.

Target market – VALS survey will place our customers as Thinkers and
Innovators. Thinkers are well educated and informed of current situations.
Innovators tend to grasp new technology and set trends.
Positioning- The LEAF will be positioned as the number one electric vehicle in consumers mind. We will be the first one, so that perception will be fairly easy to accomplish. The name and logo will help encourage the name to stay in the mind of viewers.
Ethnicity- With the location the leaf is being released first, the Hispanic market is definitely projected to be a common customer. Asian consumers will also be a target given it is a Japanese vehicle and also the Asian consumer also tends to be tech