Nissan says it is targeting 20% of China’s emerging market for electric vehicles.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Jun Seki, head of Nissan’s China business, said that EV sales in China may rise to up to 400,000 vehicles a year by 2018, and Nissan expects to win about a fifth of the market.
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The report notes that China’s central and local governments have extended subsidies, exempted EVs from licence-plate restrictions and pledged to expand the network of charging stations to encourage their adoption. Vice Premier Ma Kai said last month that buyers of electric cars may be exempted from paying purchase taxes as part of expanded state measures to bolster their sales.
“China is serious about pushing the adoption of new-energy vehicles, and no other country can compare with the subsidies that it’s giving out,” Seki told Bloomberg.
Nissan will begin selling its first electric model for China – the e30 – under its China-only Venucia brand this year.
Nissan is working with the Chinese cities of Dalian, Guangzhou and Xiangyang on pilot programs to promote the Venucia-branded electric car, according to Seki.
Seki also told Bloomberg that Nissan is “back on track” after diplomatic tensions between China and Japan spilled over into populist anti-Japanese sentiment in China. Nissan is targeting 2m passenger vehicles a year in China by 2017 to 2018, according to Seki. The company has said it expects deliveries in the country to climb to 1.43m units this fiscal year.
