Nissan's China joint venture to sell 2 of its own models
Nissan Motor Co.'s joint venture with China's Dongfeng Motor Corp. plans to introduce two own-brand models next year in China, a company executive said.
The move will make Nissan the third global automaker -- following General Motors and Honda Motor Co. -- to introduce joint-venture models in China.
Nissan's joint venture, Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Co., introduced its first Venucia-brand model last week at the Shanghai auto show.
Sales of the compact car will begin in the first half of next year, said Ren Yong, vice general manager of the company, at a press conference here. The joint venture's second own-brand vehicle is due next year, he said.
Nissan did not disclose additional details about the two models.
Venucia-brand vehicles will share parts with Dongfeng Nissan's Nissan-brand vehicles, according to Ren.
Nissan and other international automakers are introducing brands for their joint ventures in response to pressure from China's central government. Beijing's effort is intended to give Chinese automakers access to their partners' technology.
In turn, the international companies are aiming their new brands at China's entry-level market, which has been dominated by domestic Chinese automakers.
