As part of efforts towards making Africa a hub for light commercial vehicles, Nissan Motor Co reveals its plans to launch seven new models in Africa over the next two years, its company executives said recently.
Following the pandemic, the company encountered its first annual loss in eleven years, as such it seeks to focus on high-growth markets to try to weather the impact of the Covid-19. It also reveals its plans to cut the number of models it makes globally and improve efficiency.
According to the managing director at Nissan South Africa, Shinkichi Izumi; the Japanese automaker will expand its SUV and cross-over portfolio in Africa with seven new models, of which four will be in the SUV (sports utility vehicle) category.
Nissan will work at making Africa a hub for light commercial vehicles (LCV), and will increase the production of its popular Navara pick-ups and open plants in Ghana and Kenya, Izumi said.
He did not disclose details of the investment and levels of production for the region, although Nissan said last year it would spend 3 billion rands ($174.07 million) on its Navara model.
“We are going to locally produce the new Navara model and we are also looking at export,” Guillaume Cartier, Chairman for Nissan’s Africa, Middle East, and India (AMI) region, told a media call.
