Nissan yesterday released the Agres forklift, designed for environmental protection, low-cost operation and improved safety.

Co-developed with Mitsubishi, the red and silver Nissan Agres, whose name is derived from the word aggressive, hits the world stage just weeks after the companies' Grendia project (see Forkliftaction.com News #113).

Nissan said the 69-model range, from 1.0 tonne to 3.5 tonnes, would be released through Nissan dealers around the world. The Agres's strong points were low exhaust emissions and advanced noise reduction capabilities.

The company was targeting 20,000 sales a year, including 4000 in its home market, Japan.

Petrol and LPG models reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 99% over conventional engines, and satisfy US Environmental Protection Agency regulations. Diesel models reduce black smoke emissions at start up by 90%, Nissan said.

Standard safety equipment includes a roll control system for turning stability, a mast lock mechanism, a parking brake warning buzzer and an automatic transmission power cut-off system.