Nissan, Dongfeng plan US$785m China plant: Source

June 14, 2012

File photo shows Nissan Motor Co Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn speaking to journalists next to the Land Glider concept car (R) during a news conference at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show October 21, 2009. Ghosn unveiled an ambitious target in July 2011 to boost China sales to 2.3 million vehicles in 2015. – Reuters picBEIJING, June 14 – Nissan Motor Co, the largest Japanese carmaker in China, plans a more than 5 billion yuan (RM2.5 billion) plant in northeastern China, a person with knowledge of the plan said, as it ramps up in the world’s largest car market.

The plant, in Dalian city, is part of a scheme by Nissan to invest 30 billion yuan in China by the end of 2015, racing against General Motors and other global carmakers which are also looking to China for growth as more developed markets stutter.

“Nissan has a more diversified portfolio in China and has put out more offerings than many of its rivals already. It could bring more of the latest models into China and further expand its appeal with this new plant,” said John Zeng, Asia Pacific director of industry consultancy LMC Automotive.

The Dalian facility, jointly-owned by Nissan and its local partner Dongfeng Motor Group Co, will have an initial capacity of 25,000 cars when it begins production in 2014, the source said. Capacity would be phased up to 120,000 by 2015 and 240,000 by 2017.

“They will be making Nissan’s more upscale SUVs, sedans and MPVs in the new plant. A ground-breaking ceremony has been planned for later this month,” the person said.

Executives at the joint venture could not immediately be reached for comment.

China is already the largest market for Nissan even though it arrived much later than GM and Volkswagen.

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn unveiled an ambitious target last July to boost China sales to 2.3 million vehicles in 2015, part of its mid-term business plan to raise the company’s global market share and profit margin to 8 per cent in six years.

To reach that growth target, Nissan’s China venture plans to launch about 30 new products during the period, including an electric vehicle under the joint-venture brand name Venucia, said Ghosn.

Nissan sold 1.25 million vehicles in China last year, up 21.9 per cent from a year earlier, twice as many as Honda Motor , which saw its sales dip 4.5 per cent. Toyota Motor delivered 883,000 cars in China last year, down 4.4 per cent. – Reuters