Nissan wants to bring electric cars to the U.S. and Japan by 2010 and to the world by 2012, the automaker announced Tuesday. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn in 2005 called gas-electric hybrids “niche products,” but he’s changed his tune, declaring that his company is determined to demonstrate “zero-emission-vehicle leadership.” While General Motors and Toyota also have plans to bring electric vehicles to market, Nissan is the first to say it will mass-produce affordable, all-electric cars on a global scale. “We are not interested in some ‘Stars Wars’ prototype,” says Ghosn, “but in really bringing a mass market product that everybody can buy.”
