The three central tenets of the Nissan GT 2012 plan are a focus on leadership, zero-emission vehicle development and the target of five per cent revenue growth on average over five years.

The zero-emission goal incorporates Nissan's plan to introduce an all-electric vehicle in the US and Japan in 2010, with plans to mass-market the vehicles globally in 2012.

Nissan's decision to focus on emerging markets is a result of its substantial growth in those regions over the past fiscal year - sales were up 22 per cent, surpassing the 1 million mark for the first time at 1,061,000 units.

Nissan President and chief executive Carlos Ghosn said the new markets presented the potential for huge growth.

He added that while in the US there were 800 cars for every 1,000 people and 600 in Europe, there were only 200 vehicles per 1,000 people in Russia and 50 in India and China.

The plan also incorporates the launch of 60 all-new models in the next five years and 15 new technologies every year starting in 2009.

Meanwhile, Nissan has reported a net income increase of 7.4 per cent for the fiscal year 2007.

Net revenues reached 10.82 trillion yen and the Japanese manufacturer sold a record 3.77 million vehicles worldwide – an increase of 8.2 per cent.

Despite these rises, for the upcoming fiscal year, the company has forecast the biggest drop in net income in nine years.