Employees from the Smyrna Plant manufacturing team gathered to celebrate the start of production of a new addition to the Nissan Altima lineup: the 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe.

Manufacturing Senior Manager Wanda Fullerton spoke about the plant's efforts to assure high quality and high value in a competitive market. Marketing Senior Manager Michelle Erwin called it a true coupe offering true performance, true technology and upscale design at an affordable price -- an extension of Altima's "revolutionary evolution." The Altima Coupe then drove through a banner stretched across the Trim & Chassis final line.

"The Altima is an important car in the Nissan lineup, and the Altima Coupe is an important extension to the Nissan family," said Fullerton. "It's a true coupe, and the majority of its sheet metal is all-new. We have taken a lot of actions to assure a high-quality launch, and we're confident that we will build a vehicle that will provide a lot of value for our customers."

"The Altima Coupe is a complete, balanced package," added Erwin. "Like the Altima Sedan, it's designed to be one of the best-handling front-wheel- drive vehicles in the world."

The all-new 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe fills a desire among target customers for a more personal expression of style and individuality. Based on the 2007 Nissan Altima sedan, the new Coupe's exterior design is intended to stand out in a crowd of sedan-based two-door models with its sophisticated, perfectly proportioned styling. The Altima Coupe features a shorter wheelbase, overall length and height than the Altima Sedan.

The Altima Coupe offers true performance with a choice of the award- winning VQ-series 3.5-liter V6 or powerful 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder engines, each offered with either a 6-speed manual transmission or Nissan's advanced Xtronic CVT(TM) (Continuously Variable Transmission). The Coupe also offers true performance with a long list of user-friendly technology features - including standard Intelligent Key with Push Button Ignition, available Bluetooth(R) Hands-Free Phone System, an advanced touch-screen navigation system with XM(TM) NavTraffic updates and RearView Monitor.

The 2008 Altima Coupe is scheduled to go on sale on May 25, 2007, at Nissan dealers nationwide.

The Smyrna Plant has 6,050 employees and represents an investment of $2.1 billion. In addition to the Nissan Altima Coupe and Nissan Altima Sedan, the plant produces the Nissan Maxima, Nissan Xterra, Nissan Pathfinder and Nissan Frontier.