Nissan 2010 Annual Report Download - page 9

Entering the Next Phase Product Plan Performance
07Annual Report 2010NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
We followed design-to-cost principles to ensure that the
March is competitive, offers uncompromising quality, and still
generates a profit. The result is a car with strong driving
performance, sufficient roominess, and “green”
characteristics, including excellent fuel economy and low
CO2 emissions. We will export this global model from
Thailand to Japan, and from India to many regions around
the world, including Europe. Nissan is dedicated to
maintaining the kind of exhaustive quality assurance that
guarantees we are delivering products that customers
everywhere can trust.
The Renault-Nissan Alliance is committed to
zero-emission leadership. Fiscal year 2010 will be a critical
period in our drive to make this commitment a reality. Nissan
will launch Nissan LEAF in Japan, the U.S. and Europe, and
we are working to scale back costs by the launch of global
mass marketing in 2012. We plan to penetrate the market
by offering our EV at an affordable price and use it to create
new customer values, communicate our environmental
efforts and technological abilities, and build our brand.
Our aim is to deliver the right products to the right
markets in a timely manner. We will refine our sales
capabilities, responding to customers with greater care and
enhancing their level of satisfaction. The auto industry is
standing at a crucial crossroad, and we will respond by rising
decisively to meet our self-imposed challenges, including
the spread of eco-friendly technologies, further ventures
into emerging markets, and the introduction of our global
compact cars. Nissan will grow stronger and more
competitive through these demanding endeavors.
Toshiyuki Shiga
Chief Operating Officer
The total industry volume in Japan is expected to drop
from October 2010 onward when government incentives
are removed. We intend to mitigate the effect by launching
several eco-friendly cars. These models include the new
fuel-efficient March, an automatic transmission version of
the X-TRAIL clean diesel, the Fuga hybrid electric vehicle,
and a zero-emission electric vehicle, Nissan LEAF. All are
examples of how we are adapting our offer to customer
needs.
Our sales in the U.S. are projected to be 945,000 units, a
7.9 percent market share based on a projected TIV of 12
million units. We expect our product offer—including the
compact Versa, the Rogue SUV, and the new NV lineup of
light commercial vehicles—to drive our sales up in this highly
competitive market.
Despite the Greek financial issue and other uncertainties,
sales of the Qashqai continue to grow in Europe. We will
also be launching the new Micra and Juke in the region this
year. These models will contribute to a gradual increase of
our market share there.
Our sales forecast in China is very positive, with a
projected rise to 860,000 units. We will work on customer
satisfaction and brand value, selling each vehicle with care
in this rapidly expanding market. Supply shortages remain a
challenge, but we are moving quickly to increase the
capacity in Zhengzhou and Huadu to enable the production
of one million units for all of China by 2012.
We also foresee major sales growth in Thailand, where
our first global compact car, the new March, has made a fine
start following its launch in March this year. We began local
production of the new Micra in India in May and already
have it on the market. This is our first localized product for
India, which local dealers were looking forward to, and we
plan to capitalize on the opportunity and significantly raise
our market presence.