By Steve & Tamami Laser
The Olympic Flame shines like a beacon of hope wherever it goes. We remember seeing it on the streets of Los Angeles way back in 1984 prior to the opening of the games. It’s one of those rare moments in life that one never forgets. Employees and guests at Nissan’s Resende auto manufacturing plant shared one of these moments today as the 2016 Rio Olympic Flame arrived at the facility.
According to Nissan Brazil, it’s the first time the Torch Relay has crossed a car plant. Nissan is an Official Sponsor of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Olympic Torch Relay. In addition, the automaker is providing some 5,000 vehicles in support of the games.
Employees packed into the hallways to see the torch crossing all manufacturing sectors, while seven employees acted as torchbearers.
Guests were also invited to take part in this unique event at the Resende plant that manufactures the March and Versa, and will soon be joined by the Nissan Kicks. Afterwards, two concerts rocked the plant: the Patubatê group, which plays instruments made of Nissan Kicks’ parts, and singer and songwriter Nando Reis.
Nissan’s Olympic support fleet features cars from various categories and sizes to ensure comfort and best use across many different activities. Among the models, there are more than 200 of the new Nissan Kicks. Developed and designed to reflect the vibrant culture, style and colors of Brazil, it’s the official vehicle of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and goes on sale at Nissan’s stores in Brazil on August 5. In addition to Kicks, the fleet includes the Nissan March, Versa, Sentra, Altima and Frontier.
Nissan became a local automaker in Brazil in 2000. Today, it has more than 160 dealerships throughout the country. Its first local model was made at the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s plant in São José dos Pinhais (Paraná State) in 2002. In April 2014, a wholly owned Industrial Complex started to operate in Resende (Rio de Janeiro State), with investments totaling R$ 2.6 billion channeled into a capacity of 200,000 vehicles and 200,000 engines per year. The industrial site currently manufactures the Nissan March and Versa, in addition to two dual-fuel engines: 1.0-liter 12-valve and 1.6-liter 16-valve powertrains.
Nissan Brazil currently employs 1,800 people. The Resende industrial site has a complete manufacturing cycle, from the stamping shop to track tests, including a body shop, paint shop, plastic injection molding shop, assembly shop, and quality inspection area.
Vehicle features and specifications in this story are for the Brazil market and are subject to change without notice
News source and photos courtesy of Nissan do Brasil
Story (commentary) © 2016 CarNichiWa.com