Nissan Europe and Japanese trading house Marubeni Corporation have moved closer to a deal through which Nissan Belgium will change hands.
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In a statement this week, Nissan Europe said itself, Marubeni Corporation and Marubeni Europe on 6 June agreed terms and conditions under which Nissan Europe “may purchase” from Marubeni Corporation and Marubeni Europe 100% of the shares in Nissan Belgium.
The effective purchase of the shares in Nissan Belgium is subject to conditions, including prior approval of the Belgian competition board, the automaker noted.
If the deal proceeds as expected, Nissan Belgium would become a full Nissan entity and no longer be an independent importer, Nissan Europe said, adding that the Belgian unit could start operating as a Nissan unit as soon as July.
Nissan Belgium was created in 1966 and annual sales rose to over 30,000 vehicles at their peak but dropped to about 12,000 last year.
The agreement is part of the reorganisation of Nissan Europe’s business structure and plans to boost sales continent-wide. The automaker said the deal would strengthen its position in the Belgian market by maximising efficiencies and improving service.
“It would also allow Nissan Belgium to invest in the future, and to support Nissan’s plans for growth in Europe,” it said.
Nissan has recently revamped its largely locally-built European passenger car range, dropping the C-segment Almera and Almero Tino lines and the D-segment Primera and replacing the trio with a wide range of Qashqai crossover variants. This UK-built C-segment model is intended to appeal to buyers of both small SUVs and C-segment hatchbacks.
Nissan employs around 12,000 in its European design, research and development, manufacturing, logistics, and sales and marketing operations and, last year built 506,602 vehicles in its Spanish and British plants. Head office is in Trappes, about 20 miles west of Paris.
