Nissan Chief Operating Officer Toshiyuki Shiga said at a Tokyo press conference outlining the company's "Nissan Green Programme 2010" that it will introduce from fiscal year 2010 petrol engine technologies that will enhance fuel economy and at the same time reduce carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to diesel engine levels.

The company aims to introduce a new fuel-cell vehicle using an improved fuel stack - the main part of such vehicles - developed in-house after 2010 that will offer performance on par with petrol-powered automobiles, Shiga said.

Fuel cell vehicles run on the power produced when oxygen in the air combines with hydrogen that's stored in the fuel tank - producing only harmless water vapour.

But for the mid-term future, Shiga said the company plans to focus on the internal combustion engine as the primary power source for its vehicles, and will concentrate on improving engine efficiency.

"To develop vehicles that are truly environmentally friendly, we need to make significant advances in internal combustion technology while working on electrical power sources in parallel," said Mitsuhiko Yamashita, Nissan's executive vice president for research and development in a statement.

As part of that effort, Shiga said in Tokyo that Nissan plans to develop a "three-litre car" capable of travelling 100 km using just three litres of petrol.

The company hopes to unveil a new model in Japan in 2010.

Nampa-AP

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