Nissan to export passenger vehicles from China

GUANGZHOU -- Nissan Motor Co. will soon start exporting passenger vehicles from China to overseas markets. The shipment, to be made to Egypt, will include Livina minivans and Bluebird Sylphy sedans.

"The plan is going well and the first batch of cars will be exported later this month or next month," says an executive from Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company.

Dongfeng Nissan is a 50:50 joint venture between Nissan and China's Dongfeng Motor Corp. The cars for export are built by the joint venture.

Currently, Dongfeng Nissan produces the Bluebird Sylphy sedans, the Livina and Geniss minivans, the Qashqai crossover and Tiida compact car in its plant in the south China city of Guangzhou. It also makes the Teana sedans in its plant in the central China city of Xiangfan.

All of these cars are left-hand-drive models.

A spokeswoman of Nissan (China) Investment Co. confirms the export plan. She adds Nissan plans to export 500 units of Livina minivan and 400 units of Bluebird Sylphy sedans by the end of this year. All of the cars will be sold in Egypt through Nissan's local distribution network.

The cars to be exported are the same as those currently being sold in China.

The five-seat Livina being sold in China now is fitted with a 1.6-liter gasoline engine and a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmission, with a starting price of 79,800 yuan ($11,650) per unit.

The Bluebird Sylphy carries a 1.6- or 2.0 engine and a four-speed automatic or continuous variable transmission, with a starting price of about 140,000 yuan ($20,440) per unit.

In 2006, Dongfeng Nissan sold 1,000 units of the Tiida compact cars to the African country of Angola.

But Nissan China's spokeswoman says the 2006 shipment was not an export from Nissan. It was Dongfeng Nissan selling the cars to a Hong Kong registered trading company and the Hong Kong company then sold the cars to Angola, she says.

Nissan made 281,520 units of passenger vehicles in China last year, including 41,341 units of the Livina and 57,182 units of the Bluebird Slyphy, according to Automotive Resources Asia, a unit of J.D. Power and Associates.