Nissan is set to sell several electric vehicles currently in development in China to overseas markets in a push to increase its sales.
While recently speaking with reporters at an event in Beijing, Nissan Motor vice president and Nissan China president, Masashi Matsuyama, revealed that the carmaker may sell battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles developed and built in China to overseas markets. Additionally, it’s considering exporting a number of internal combustion-powered vehicles from China.
China accounted for slightly more than a fifth of Nissan’s global sales through the first 10 months of this year and according to Matsuyama, it may follow the example set by BYD and target similar markets with its Chinese models, including Europe. Exporting Chinese-made models will help it take advantage of the nation’s lower manufacturing costs, Auto News reports.
Nissan has also announced that it will establish a joint research center with China’s Tsinghua University next year that will focus on the research and development of EVs, as well as charging infrastructure and battery recycling. The carmaker has been conducting joint research efforts with the university since 2016 but they initially only focused on intelligent mobility and autonomous driving technologies.
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“We hope that this collaboration will help us gain a deeper understanding of the Chinese market and develop strategies that better meet the needs of customers in China, and contribute to sustainable development by returning the results of our joint research to the Chinese economy and society,” Nissan president and chief executive Makoto Uchida said in a statement.
This news comes shortly after Nissan’s revised alliance with Renault started to take shape with the French carmaker selling a 5% stake back to Nissan. As part of their new alliance deal, Renault will reduce its stake in Nissan from 43% to 15%.
