text: **The Quest for Improved Quality**
  
  “Quality is a crucial factor in Nissan’s success. Along 
  
  with trust, familiarity and differentiation, it is one of 
  
  the ways we express our brand. Quality builds the 
  
  trust of our customers and stakeholders, so it is also 
  
  a major element in promoting the brand. 
  
  Quality was a major issue for us in 2004. We were 
  
  unable to reach the global goals we set because a 
  
  great deal of time was spent addressing issues that 
  
  arose, particularly in the U.S. The good news is that in 
  
  all our newly launched vehicles, including those from 
  
  the U.S., we are seeing radically better quality. This is 
  
  a direct result of implementing a global quality 
  
  management system. While such positive outcomes 
  
  are welcome, we must continue to upgrade the 
  
  quality of Nissan automobiles. 