Detroit Free Press - Nissan, the biggest Japanese carmaker in China by sales, will reimburse owners for damage to vehicles during protests, including future demonstrations, as the company works to lure customers back.
Compensation payments to owners of Nissan and Venucia-branded vehicles apply to protests in September over an island sovereignty dispute between China and Japan, and to "all kinds of riots," from now forward, Sharon Shen, a Beijing-based spokeswoman for Nissan, said by telephone Friday.
Consumers avoided buying vehicles made by Toyota and Nissan after rioters torched dealerships and smashed cars in protests over the disputed islands in September. That caused deliveries of Japanese vehicles in the world's largest car market to slump 41% last month, the government-backed China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said Oct. 10.
"We want to ease consumers' concerns over using and purchasing our cars," Shen said.
Nissan will also fully cover the cost of medical treatment for owners injured in attacks on their vehicles during the September riots, she said.
The carmaker's China sales have increased in recent weeks, Shen said, but she declined to elaborate.
