Just days after her first Grand Slam championship, Nissan named 20-year-old tennis player Naomi Osaka its newest brand ambassador.
The announcement was made at Nissan’s Global Headquarters in Yokohama, marking one of Osaka’s first appearances in Japan since winning the title on Sept. 8.
Armed with her powerful groundstrokes and strong serve, Osaka became the first Japanese player to win a women’s singles Grand Slam. Born in Japan to a Japanese mother and a Haitian-American father, she moved to the U.S. when she was 3 years old and competes for Japan.
“This week has been a dream come to life, and I’m so honored to represent Japan and Nissan on the world stage,” Osaka said. “I was drawn to partner with Nissan because of its strong Japanese DNA and global competitive spirit. The brand is always challenging expectations, and I look forward to bringing its vision for driving excitement to new audiences around the world.”
As part of the partnership, Osaka will appear in global promotions and advertising for Nissan, and Nissan will support her activities as a tennis player, including providing Nissan vehicles at her tour destinations.
“With a combination of grit and grace, Naomi Osaka is not afraid to take on the best tennis players of our time, and win,” said Asako Hoshino, senior vice president at Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. “This is the same spirit of performance that Nissan has embodied throughout our history – exemplified most recently by the Nissan LEAF, which defied the odds to become the best-selling electric vehicle in the world. And just like Naomi, Nissan is just getting started.”
Naomi Osaka profile:
Naomi Osaka was born in Osaka, Japan, on Oct. 16, 1997, to a Haitian-American father and a Japanese mother. The family moved to the U.S. when she was 3 years old. She lives in Florida.
Osaka turned pro in 2013 and qualified for the Women’s Tennis Association tour championship at age 16, debuting at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, Calif. In 2016, Osaka qualified to enter her first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open, and made it into the third round. The same season, she also reached the third round of the French Open and the U.S. Open.
In October 2016, she was the runner-up at the Toray Pan Pacific Open. The performance earned her the title of “WTA Newcomer of the Year.”
In March 2018, she became the first Japanese woman to win a Premier Mandatory event, at the WTA Indian Wells tour.
On Sept. 8, 2018, Osaka became the first Japanese player to win a women’s singles Grand Slam.
World rank: 7th (as of Sept. 10, 2018)
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR IMAGES GO TO http://www.nissanpress.co.uk/ OR CONTACT:
| David Jackson |
Communications Director david.jackson@nissan.co.uk |
01923 899933 |
| Martin Bayntun Email: |
Corporate Communications Manager martin.bayntun@nissan.co.uk |
01923 899932 |
| Dominic Vizor Email: |
Product Communications Manager dominic.vizor@nissan.co.uk |
01923 899938 |
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Notes to editors
ABOUT NISSAN IN THE UK
- Nissan Sunderland Plant produces the Nissan Qashqai, Juke, Infiniti Q30 and the 100% electric Nissan LEAF
- Production of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles began in 2012
- Total plant volume since 1986 stands at more than 9 million units with 80 per cent of production exported to over 100 markets worldwide
- Total investment made and announced since then is over £4.0 billion
- 495,645 units were produced at Sunderland plant in 2017
- Employment in Nissan’s UK design studio (Paddington, London), technical centre (Cranfield Bedfordshire), manufacturing plant (Sunderland, Tyne and Wear) and sales and marketing operations (Maple Cross, Hertfordshire) now totals more than 8,000.
- A further 28,000 jobs in Nissan’s UK supply chain and 4,000 in its UK dealer network takes the total British jobs supported by Nissan to more than 40,000
ABOUT NISSAN IN EUROPE
Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 17,000 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 640,000 vehicles including award-winning crossovers, commercial vehicles and the Nissan LEAF, the world’s most popular electric vehicle. Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility vision is designed to guide Nissan’s product and technology pipeline and this 360 degree approach to the future of mobility will anchor critical company decisions around how cars are powered, how cars are driven, and how cars integrate into society. Nissan is positioned to become the most desirable Asian brand in Europe. http://www.newsroom.nissan-europe.com
About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, INFINITI and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2017, the company sold 5.77 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 11.9 trillion yen. On April 1, 2017, the company embarked on Nissan M.O.V.E. to 2022, a six-year plan targeting a 30% increase in annualized revenues to 16.5 trillion yen by the end of fiscal 2022, along with cumulative free cash flow of 2.5 trillion yen. As part of Nissan M.O.V.E. to 2022, the company plans to extend its leadership in electric vehicles, symbolized by the world’s best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: Asia & Oceania; Africa, the Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America; and North America. Nissan has a global workforce of 247,500 and has been partnered with French manufacturer Renault since 1999. In 2016, Nissan acquired a 34% stake in Mitsubishi Motors. Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi is today the world’s largest automotive partnership, with combined sales of more than 10.6 million vehicles in calendar year 2017.
