Tiida brings Dongfeng Nissan to '08 sales goal

Shanghai, December 18 (Gasgoo.com) While many automakers in China has cut this year's sales targets amid the market slump, Dongfeng Nissan has already fulfilled its sales goal of 2008 by selling 345,000 vehicles, nearly 38% of which are of the Tiida model, said xinhuanet.com today.

The joint venture aims to increase its sales in 2009 by 50,000 vehicles, but the growth will be achieved by existing car models. The company has not planned any new car models for next year as the economic climate and market demand are not easy to predict now amid the financial crisis.

The Tiida model has contributed most to Dongfeng Nissan's sales in 2008. The Tiida model has sold 130,000 units this year and more than 400,000 units since its launch in April 2005. The successful sales of Tiida are partly attributed to the "Dongfeng Nissan" brand name boosted by the New Teana model. The releases of the Qashqai and X-Trail have also drawn more buyers to Dongfeng Nissan stores.

Dongfeng Nissan has achieved 30% growth to 345,000 units this year from 270,000 units of 2007. Given the uncertain market in 2009, the company has only decided to increase its sales by 15% next year. The sales growth is expected to slow down and will depend on the existing models of the venture.

Industry experts have said that Nissan Motor, like other two Japanese carmakers Honda and Toyota, has built up powerful dynamics for sustainable growth in the Chinese auto market.