Japanese carmaker Nissan’s China growth strategy will remain unchanged in post-Carlos Ghosn era
- Nissan plans to launch 20 new electric models by 2022
- Carmaker expects Chinese policies to boost sales in the second half
Nissan Motor expects China’s car market to recover in the second half, as the Japanese carmaker moves on from the scandal surrounding former chairman Carlos Ghosn.
Makoto Uchida, senior vice-president of Nissan, said Beijing’s efforts to support the industry, such as subsidies and tax incentives, would effectively result in a turnaround.
Uchida said Nissan will not change its China strategy despite the Ghosn distraction and plans to leverage its research and development capability in the country.
“We think we will see a recovery in the second half of this year [in China],” he told reporters on Tuesday at the Auto Shanghai 2019 exhibition. “But the most important thing for us is to make sure that we see month on month growth.”
He added that the company is banking on new model launches, including 20 electric vehicles by 2022, to drive growth in the world’s largest car market.
A pall of gloom has descended over China’s car industry. Last year, sales fell 2.8 per cent – the first such contraction since 1992 – as consumers tightened their purse strings amid fears of a slowing economy and the US-China trade war.