Motorists getting greyer, greener, thriftier: Nissan's Ghosn

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2007

TOKYO (AFP) — Motorists are getting older, thriftier and more concerned about the planet, sending automakers back to the drawing board to develop cars to meet their needs, industry guru Carlos Ghosn said Friday.

"There is no doubt that 10 years down the road, the average age of a human being living on the planet is going to be higher," said Ghosn, who heads both Japan's Nissan Motor Co. and its French partner Renault.

"The average consumer on earth is going to be much older. We know also that usually the purchasing power is with older people. (That means) more money in the hands of the seniors and more seniors on Earth," he said.

Car makers like Nissan must therefore develop more speciality cars with devices such as cameras that making parking easier and...