Nissan plans global export of China-developed EVs to rival BYD
Nissan Motor is gearing up to sell electric vehicles (EVs) developed in China on a global scale. The automaker has also made a deal with a top Chinese university, tapping into local resources to accelerate research and development in electrification. Masashi Matsuyama, Nissan Motor's vice president and president of Nissan China, shared plans to export both existing internal combustion engine vehicles and upcoming pure electric and plug-in hybrid cars made in China to international markets, competing with rivals like BYD.
Company wants to leverage lower manufacturing costs
Japanese automakers have struggled with low sales in China due to local brand popularity and intense competition, per Reuters. From January to October this year, China represented just over 20% of Nissan's worldwide sales of around 2.8M vehicles, down from over 33% during the same period the previous year. In the footsteps of Tesla, BMW, and Ford, Nissan aims to increase its exports of China-produced cars to take advantage of lower manufacturing costs and enhance capacity utilization at their factories.
Joint research center with Tsinghua University
Moreover, in a joint effort with China's Tsinghua University, Nissan will set up a research center next year. It will focus on the research and development of electric vehicles, including charging infrastructure and battery recycling. Nissan President and Chief Executive Makoto Uchida stated that this collaboration will help the company "gain a deeper understanding of the Chinese market and develop strategies that better meet the needs of customers."
