Nissan's Ghosn embraces push to go green

Carlos Ghosn, chief executive officer of Nissan Motor Corp., along with FedEx Corp. Chairman Fred Smith and other chief executive officers, banded together as the Electrification Coalition, to call on the U.S. government to adopt policies that would help put millions of all-electric or partially electric vehicles on the roads. By 2040, 75% of the driving done in the U.S. should be done using electric power instead of petroleum combustion, the group said. Ghosn, chief executive of both Nissan and its French alliance partner, Renault SA, says in an interview the companies will launch four electric vehicles globally, with three of them coming to the U.S., including the Nissan Leaf compact, a light commercial vehicle suitable for use by companies such as FedEx, and eventually an electric car to be marketed under the Infiniti luxury brand. (November 19, 2009)