Nissan Fuga to be China-built in 2009

Shanghai, November 4 (Gasgoo.com) - Dongfeng Nissan might locally produce Nissan's luxury sedan Fuga in China next year, a company source told auto website cheshi.com, as reported by 21st Century Business Herald today.

The unnamed company source said the Nissan is planning to produce a new luxury car, probably the new Fuga, at its Chinese joint venture next year to fulfill its product lineup in China.

Nissan first introduced Fuga to the Chinese market in 2005. The imported Fuga is sold currently at a range of 478,000 yuan ($69,911) to 548,000 yuan in China.

The Fuga is a rear wheel drive sedan riding on a stretched version of the Nissan FM platform, used by the Nissan Skyline and the car is a close competitor to the Toyota Crown in the Chinese market. Currently it uses 2.5 L or 3.5 L VQ-series V6 engines, or a 4.5 L VK-series V8 engine in Japan.

Nissan's new X-Trail SUV made in China officially went on sale in Beijing yesterday, with 2.0L and 2.5L versions available for the time being. The model carries a dealer's price from 207,800 yuan to 258,800 yuan.