Nissan Motor Co aims to launch seven new models in Africa over the next two years, company executives have announced, as the Japanese automaker seeks to focus on high-growth markets to try to weather the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.
Last month, Nissan disclosed that it will cut the number of models it makes globally and improve efficiency after the pandemic triggered its first annual loss in 11 years.
Nissan will expand its SUV and cross-over portfolio in Africa with seven new models, of which four will be in the SUV (sports utility vehicle) category, Shinkichi Izumi, managing director at Nissan South Africa, said.
He did not disclose details of the investment and levels of production for the region, although Nissan said last year it would spend 3 billion rand ($174.07 million) on its Navara model.
It plans to make Africa a hub for light commercial vehicles (LCV), which will increase the production of its popular Navara pick-ups and open plants in Ghana and Kenya, Izumi said.
“We are going to locally produce the new Navara model and we are also looking at export,” Guillaume Cartier, Chairman for Nissan’s Africa, Middle East, and India (AMI) region, told a media call.
