Despite Nissan making the new Note in Mexico [with which Brazil has a free trade agreement] for local sales and export to the US as the Versa Note, Nissan has decided also to make the model in Brazil at its new Resende manufacturing plant 160km/100 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro City.
Note production starts in January 2015, just-auto believes, and will replace the current Livina/Grand Livina range built at the factory operated jointly with Renault in São José dos Pinhais, Paraná state.
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As for the March [Micra] compact hatchback, SOP is scheduled for January 2014 with its sibling Versa saloon following in July. Both are imported from Mexico currently.
Nissan has recently moved its Brazilian headquarters to Rio de Janeiro City. This is not surprising given the automaker is spending BRL2.6bn (US$1.15bn) in the namesake state on its 200,000 unit manufacturing plant where engines will also be produced.
The goal is 5% market share by 2016 versus 3% now. Quotas on imports from Mexico – FTA or not – have slowed Nissan sales yet its product line will be boosted by the new March/Versa range.
Twenty days ago, Renault-Nissan alliance CEO Carlos Ghosn was in Brazil to sign a memorandum of intentions with Rio de Janeiro’s state government anticipating possible EV production.
However, the top executive said the low-cost, sub-brand Datsun is not planned in the foreseeable future despite a May 2012 promise it would be sold in “Latin America”.
“Consolidating the Nissan brand here is already an effort-demanding task. We must focus [on] this goal.”
