Manchester City & Ivory Coast Star Yaya Touré Joins Nissan As New Global Ambassador

Nissan is proud to announce Yaya Touré, three-time African Footballer of the Year and UEFA Champions League winner, as its newest global ambassador. The Manchester City and Ivory Coast midfielder has agreed to a deal which will see him work alongside Nissan's global UEFA Champions League and Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2015 partnerships.

Yaya joins Nissan's star-studded team of UEFA Champions League ambassadors, which includes the recently announced Barcelona and Spain midfielder, Andrés Iniesta and PSG and Brazil defender, Thiago Silva. The UEFA Champions League ambassadors will work with the company as part of the Engineers of Excitement program, which aims to enhance the experience of football fans through a range of activities including the exclusive Goal of the Week competition. Touré will also star in a series of new television and print advertisements for the UEFA Champions League due to premiere in February 2015.

Yaya Toure said, "I'm proud to be partnering with Nissan across its UEFA Champions League and Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2015 sponsorships. I have been fortunate enough to win lots of trophies in my career, but the Orange Africa Cup of Nations has always been my target as an African, so I am really looking forward to it and to working with Nissan to help bring the excitement around both of these fantastic tournaments to fans around Africa and the rest of the world."

As the face of Nissan's advertising campaign in Africa, Yaya Touré will play a key role around Nissan's Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2015 sponsorship, further connecting football fans with the brand and helping increase excitement around its innovative range of products.

"Nissan is delighted that Yaya Touré has joined our team as a global ambassador," said Roel de-Vries, Corporate Vice President, Global Head of Marketing, Communications and Brand – Nissan. "As one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, Yaya Touré is the perfect ambassador for our brand as he possesses great all round skills combining pace, power and high technical ability - features Nissan incorporates into its vehicles."

As well as being named African Footballer of the Year on three occasions, Yaya Touré has also won the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona and five league titles across four countries including England and Spain. With over 80 caps for Ivory Coast, Yaya Touré was recently named captain of the national team and will lead his country in qualification to reach his sixth Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2015 in January.

Takashi Hata, Senior Vice President, Africa, Middle East and India – Nissan added, "As a three-time African Footballer of the Year, Yaya Touré is an icon to millions of people across the continent. As Nissan looks to further increase its market presence in the region, our partnership with Yaya Touré will help bring Nissan closer to the fans around Africa's biggest football tournament and further strengthen our brand in a region to which we have been committed for over four decades."

Nissan is the official global automotive sponsor of the UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Champions League, with a four season deal that will cover the period 2014/2015 to 2017/2018. Nissan is the official global automotive supplier to the Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2015 covering the qualifiers and the finals. The tournament is now in its 30th year and kicks off in Morocco on January 17, 2015.

In July 2014, Nissan extended its connections in world football by agreeing a global partnership to become the Official Automotive Partner of City Football Group (CFG). The five-year deal represents a first for CFG, with Nissan becoming the first global partner of the football network, an organisation including Nissan majority owned Yokohama F. Marinos alongside Barclays Premier League Champions, Manchester City FC, Manchester City Women's FC, New York City FC and Melbourne City FC.

-ENDS-

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Katherine Zachary, Corporate Communications, Nissan Europe
Telephone: +41 79 701 85 16
Email: kzachary@nissan-europe.com

Sara Jenkins, Corporate Communications, Nissan Europe
Telephone: +41 79 808 33 97
Email: sjenkins@nissan-europe.com

Roland Buerk, Communications, Africa, Middle East and India
Telephone: +971(0)48032667
Email: roland@nissan-me.ae

Ikue Matsuura, Communications, Africa, Middle East and India
Telephone: +81(0)455235652
Email: i-matsuura@mail.nissan.co.jp

About Nissan Motor Co.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 244,500 employees globally, Nissan sold almost 5.2 million vehicles and generated revenue of 10.5 trillion yen (USD 105 billion) in fiscal 2013. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment.

For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website athttp://www.nissan-global.com/EN/

About Nissan in Europe
Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 14,500 staff across locally-based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. Last year Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced more than 635,000 vehicles including mini-MPVs, award-winning crossovers, SUVs, commercial vehicles and the Nissan LEAF, the world's most popular Electric Vehicle with 97% performance satisfaction and 95% of customers willing to recommend the car to friends. Nissan now offers 24 diverse and innovative products for sale in Europe today, and is positioned to become the number one Asian brand in Europe.

About Nissan in Africa
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. supplies innovative and exciting cars across the hatchback, SUV, sedan and pickup segments in Africa and is targeting significant growth in the continent. Nissan has two operational hubs in Egypt and South Africa with long established factories, and is developing manufacturing in Nigeria as a third hub. In April Nissan, together with local partner Stallion Group, became the first automaker to build cars in Nigeria after the Government introduced new policies to stimulate the local industry. Nissan is revitalizing its sales network and expanding its product range in many countries with launches of new vehicles like the award-winning Qashqai and X-Trail. The Nissan LEAF is Africa's first electric vehicle, bringing zero emissions motoring to the continent. In 2014 the Datsun brand is returning to Africa with the launch of the Datsun GO in South Africa. In fiscal year 2013 Nissan sold nearly 110,000 units in Africa.