Nissan has been announced as the official automotive partner of Dubai’s Expo 2020.
The Japanese automotive manufacturer is to provide the Expo’s fleet of nearly 1,000 vehicles, including a number of electric vehicles.
The deal was announced at an event in which Nissan also showcased the second generation of its electric vehicle, the Leaf, for the first time in the region.
Reem Al Hashimy, minister of state for international cooperation and director general of the Expo 2020 Bureau, said: “World Expos celebrate human ingenuity. We’re seeing that ingenuity making mobility more intelligent and more sustainable through electric vehicle technologies.
“Nissan is at the forefront of these exciting changes and we’re delighted that they have become our official automotive partner to collaborate with us in the area, and to use Expo 2020 Dubai as a platform to show these transformative technologies to millions of people from around the world.”
The Expo’s fleet of Nissans will include a range of vehicles including sedans, SUVs, pickup trucks and buses. They will be used for a range of purposes including construction, VIP visits and transport for participants.
Kalyana Sivagnanam, Nissan president for the Middle East, said: “[This partnership] reflects our commitment to supporting the nation’s aspirations of being a global role model for innovative mobility.
“Nissan’s intelligent mobility vision also ties into the UAE government’s ambition to reduce carbon emissions and promote the growth of electric vehicles across the nation.”
It was separately announced that Dubai plans to develop an aviation research hub in Dubai South as part of the legacy plans for the Expo venue.
Tahnoon Saif, vice president for aviation at Dubai South, the flagship urban project where the Expo will take place, said the hub would aim to attract aerospace manufacturers and their supply chains, the National reported.
“It will feed into our plans to support aviation education and supply chain initiatives, with laboratories and so on. We are building a platform where innovation centres can grow and support job creation,” he said.
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