Nissan Motors (NASDAQ: NSANY) thinks that the US market will account for less than 15 million vehicles sales this year. Last year that figure was 16.1 million. The Japanese company says it is preparing for the worst. That is too bad, because Nissan tends to sell smaller, more fuel-efficient cars and not large pick-ups and SUVs. If it thinks the market for its products will get much softer, its says something about the entire industry.

According to Reuters, Nissan's CEO, Carlos Ghosn, said: "If we take the trend of the market in May and June it looks like we are going to be much below 15 million. Now I'm not sure if this is going to continue for the rest of year. We are preparing ourselves for the worst."

If a typical car sold in the US costs the consumer $25,000, Nissan's prediction indicates that total sales in the world's largest vehicle market will fall off by about $30 billion. That is nearly one quarter of Ford's (NYSE: F) annual sales.

When Carlos Ghosn was brought in seven years ago to try and rescue Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (ADR) (NASDAQ: NSANY) from the edge of financial death, few would have bet that he could do it. Yet not only has Ghosn turned Nissan around and made the Japanese auto company profitable (for six straight years now), but the company is doing well even in the face of Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE: TM)'s onslaught in recent years and is flying in the face of failures at General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM) and Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F). GM did report a very good August U.S. sales month yesterday, which was a surprise.

Ghosn also heads French automaker Renault, and he's bringing in the heavy guns from that operation into Nissan based on slipping profits in 2006. Although Nissan reported a profit for the year, the amount was a fall from previous years, which must have started Ghosn's head spinning. A relentless cost cutter and advocate for building what customers want with a minimum of global manufacturing platforms, Ghosn has signified that a more "French" touch is needed at Nissan. After Nissan lost is CFO in 2003, a new one from Renault will soon be taking the helm at Nissan in order to shore up what can be done to make the Japanese automaker set back on the track to growing profits.

Ghosn is hailed at a hero in Japan after rescuing a company that was headed down the path to extinction before he took over, and by all accounts Nissan is still doing quite well, even with small market losses in both Japan and the U.S. last year. It's never good to lose market share, but the automaker is still very profitable -- so why all the stink? Well, Ghosn probably wants growth in both market share and profits, right? Who wouldn't? The only thing is that competition is more than fierce at this time, and it's not getting anything but more fierce.

Both General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) and Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) have hinted recently at more hybrid vehicles entering the global auto pipeline from both manufacturers. This is no surprise; customers are dealing with high gas prices every day now (with little to no relief in sight) and auto manufacturers are responding with hybrid auto technology to fill the customer need for better MPG (miles per gallon). Although Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) has been at the forefront of marketing so far (with its Prius hybrid, for example) and GM and Ford are pushing hybrid technology as well, what about other manufacturers?

Nissan Motor Co. (NASDAQ: NSANY) CEO Carlos Ghosn, who has been given credit for completely revitalizing and saving Nissan from complete failure back in 2001 or so, indicated yesterday that the company he leads is working hard to develop the next generation of smaller, lighter auto batteries. This move will make Nissan (hopefully) more competitive in the technology field that is sure to be used more and more in the future for not only auto batteries, but 100% electric-powered vehicles as well.

Nissan's specific move here is to have the smaller, more efficient and lighter lithium-ion battery technology currently used in cell phones and laptop computers used in passenger cars and trucks. In terms of Nissan vehicles that use hybrid technology, the current lineup includes the 2008 Nissan Altima. That car -- one of the most popular in all of Nissan's product portfolio -- has a hybrid option that uses older Nickel Metal Hydride technology that Nissan licenses from competitor Toyota. If Ghosn does not only get the newest generation of automotive batteries to market faster than the competition -- and possibly make Nissan vehicles with that technology on board -- Ford and GM may become customers as both domestic automakers strive to get a more solid footing in the hybrid vehicle market.

On Friday, Nissan Motor's (NASDAQ:NSANY) Chief Executive Officer, Carlos Ghosn, announced he would give up his oversight of the company's operations in North America to focus more on Renault and Nissan. The Japanese car maker is in a tough stretch of late, and warned that it would a lower profit for the year. The company's shares have been trading in a narrow range for years, and the company is looking for a way to reinvigorate its brand. Enter the losing keys promotion.

To promote its new push button ignition system for the 2007 Nissan Altima sedan, the company will be scattering about 60,000 sets of keys in bars, theaters, sports arenas, and parks in several key markets (sorry, couldn't help it). The key tags will have promotional tags like, "If found, please do not return because the Altima has Intelligent Key with push-button ignition, and I no longer need these." If you find a key and log on to the company's website, you can receive a $15 gas card or magazine subscription.

With a total cost for the campaign of less than $100 thousand, I think this is a brilliant marketing campaign. As Spike TV found out rather unfortunately, scattering stuff all over the place is a great way to generate publicity. The fact the key promotion directly ties into the Nissan's push-button ignition system will generate free buzz for this feature. I'm betting that this ad campaign will generate a lot more value, dollar for dollar, than buying air-time for yet another car commercial.

Carlos Ghosn of "I will run GM for you" fame, says that a tie-up with Ford is not in the cards, at least not for now. That's too bad. Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) could use a friend. It has not seen the kind of turnaround that appears to be taking root at General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM).

With recent negative credit watches from agencies Fitch and Standard & Poor's, Ford's debt could move further into junk bond territory. That means the credit analysts think a bankruptcy is more likely, and that Ford may run low on cash next year. With a Q3 loss of $5.8 billion and more losses ahead, Ford could use a friend, especially if Ghosn could get Nissan and Renault to chip in a few dollars for a piece of Ford. The Ford family may be concerned enough about the future value of their shares that they could go along with letting some or all of the control in the No. 2 US automaker go to someone else.

Ford's European operations could dovetail nicely with Renault. And, without a dealer network in the US, Renault could use the Ford dealer footprint to relaunch its cars in the U.S..

Ford could also use Nissan's factory capacity in the U.S. to close some of its own facilities, and that might give it leverage with the UAW.

But, it isn't going to happen. And Ford needs it to happen now.

Douglas McIntyre is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.

With Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn possibly becoming impatient with GM after GM CEO Rick Wagoner reported asked Ghosn to pony up billions for a possible GM-Nissan allaince, could Ghosn move over to Ford?

Possibly -- the enigmatic Ghosn, who has been credited with "saving" Nissan, runs that company along with France's Renault. He's a hot property these days because he knows how to get things done and turn floundering businesses around. Nissan's proof of that beyond any doubts.

Why is Ghosn so eager to make an alliance with a struggling U.S. automaker? Don't think it's coming out of nowhere -- an alliance, if structured properly, would be -- above all -- meant to give great returns to Nissan shareholders above all. Otherwise, why strike an alliance at all?

Bill Ford, Jr., the former CEO of Ford Motor, reported contacted Ghosn a year ago to solicit his interest in possibly running the company, but Ghosn declined. However, Ghosn apparently sees quite a bit of locked-up value in the North American market, some of which he would like to tap into through an alliance. Said Ghosn at the Paris Auto Show, happening this week, "I said from the beginning that the expansion of the alliance in North America makes sense ... there is a lot of value there."