Electric car Nissan LEAF at 2010 Beijing Automobile Exhibition

Boasting class-leading fuel efficiency, the two models will be launched in the Chinese market within this year. The Nissan LEAF, the world’s first affordable pure electric vehicle for the mass market, also received its China debut at the show, reiterating the company’s commitment to electric vehicles with lithium ion batteries.

The all-new Nissan March is a five-door hatchback that made its debut at the Geneva Motor show in March as a global compact car. DFL produces the March at the Huadu plant in China, destined to become one of the 4 production plants in Nissan’s global production network. Equipped with an all-new 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder engine with either manual or automatic transmission, the March is built on Nissan’s newly developed Versatile Platform (V-Platform).

Carlos Ghosn, President and CEO, Nissan Motor Company Ltd. said, "China has become an increasingly important market for Nissan in our global strategy. We have seen a nearly 40% increase in sales performance in year 2009 compared to year 2008. And our sales target for year 2010 is 850,000 units, allowing China to become the 2nd largest market in Nissan’s global sales." The March is set for launch in China in the second half of 2010.

Joining the March at the show is the Nissan NV200, a car-derived van (CDV) powered by a 1.6-litre engine. The NV 200 provides smooth acceleration and stable cornering with the largest space in its class. The NV200 goes on sale in China in June 2010.

The much-talked-about zero emission, all-electric car Nissan LEAF also made its eagerly awaited China premiere. Powered by Nissan’s compact lithium-ion batteries, the Nissan LEAF delivers impressive acceleration and real-world range autonomy up to 160 kilometres on one full charge. 

Nissan is to be a global leader in electric cars in the world. Just last month, Nissan announced its involvement in the first pilot program that will start in 2011 in Wuhan City – one of 13 pilot cities with electric vehicles programs supported by the Chinese government to promote less dependence on oil and a cleaner environment." Ghosn added.

In addition, Nissan has brought its current China line up to the show which includes the flagship Teana and mid-size Sylphy sedans, the high-performance NISSAN GT-R supercar, the Tiida compact car, the Livina series, the Qashqai compact crossover and the X-Trail compact SUV.

Nissan continues to extend its reach in China through the expansion of its product lineup. Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd. (DFL), Nissan’s local partner in China, will add annual capacity of 120,000 units at the Zhengzhou LCV plant this year and increase capacity at the Huadu passenger vehicle plant from the current 360,000 units to 600,000 in the future.

Additionally, Nissan (China) Investment Co., Ltd. (NCIC), Nissan’s subsidiary in China, will open a new design studio, Nissan Design China, as one of the global studios of Nissan Design at the end of this year with 20 staff members in Beijing.

For the first quarter of 2010, Nissan reported strong sales totaling 243,000 units, up 68.2 percent over the same period last year. Annual sales are expected to reach 850,000 units.

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