Dongfeng Nissan aims to sell 500,000 cars in '09

Shanghai, July 6 (Gasgoo.com) As its sales in the first half grew 58%, Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Co. has scaled up its sales target of this year to 500,000 units, said Oriental Morning Post today. China has become the world's largest Nissan market.

Toshiaki Otani, general manager of Dongfeng Nissan, told the Shanghai-based newspaper that the joint venture sold more than 225,000 vehicles in the first half of this year, up 58% from a year earlier, and expects its full-year sales to reach 450,000 - 500,000 units.
  
Sales in the first five months totaled 180,321 units, up 41% year-on-year. The Guangzhou-based joint venture received effective orders for 50,988 vehicles in May, and by the end of that month, it had cleared its entire inventory.

Dongfeng Nissan sold 350,000 vehicles last year, ranking 6th among China's passenger car makers. Its sales in the first five months this year brought the company to No. 5 in the ranking, just after Shanghai VW, FAW VW, Shanghai GM and Beijing Hyundai.

Dongfeng Nissan aims to become one of the top three passenger car makers in China by 2012. This goal is set to meet the growing demand as now China has become the world's largest market of Nissan vehicles.

For this year, Dongfeng Nissan plans to set up 40 new dealerships, and correspondingly the total numbers of the stores will reach 340, up 10%, which means this joint venture's sales has to grow faster than this rate.