Nissan and China's Dongfeng Motor Co. has begun rolling out the Nissan Sylphy Zero Emission off the production line. The car is set to become the company's first full-electric vehicle built in China, specifically for the discerning Chinese customers.
The model is integrated with the platform of the Nissan LEAF, which is currently the company's best-selling electric vehicle. It promises 100 percent electric powertrain performance. The car's drivers will enjoy an extended drive range of 338 kilometers. Users can place the battery under the seats. Its connectivity feature allows for the car's audio and video to be controlled from a mobile phone.
The model is also designed after the Sylphy which is China's best-selling sedan. It has a comfortable and spacious cabin with appropriate legroom. It has an efficient seating design with heating options.
Hiroto Saikawa, president, and CEO for Nissan said the company plans to launch five more electric car models across the Nissan, Venucia, and Dongfeng brands. The CEO acknowledged that the growing Chinese market for electric vehicles is a crucial part of Nissan's midterm financial plan.
China has already been the world's largest automotive market, Saikawa added. In terms of the evolving demand for electric vehicles, China does not just lead the market size but is also a major player in the development of the industry. The country is expected to be the first to adopt the technology entirely in the years to come. With the Sylphy Zero Emission, the company hoped to ride on China's fast-developing electric vehicle market.
The Nissan Sylphy Zero Emission is being built at Dongfeng Nissan's plant in Haudu which had been in service to the company for the last 15 years. In fact, the announcement of the production rollout coincided with another milestone for Nissan and the Dongfeng facility. The partnership has built 10 million vehicles in China since working together.
Pre-order for the Nissan Sylphy Zero Emission commenced in June this year. The car model was unveiled in April during the Auto China 2018.
Early his week, an insider revealed to Reuters that Nissan is planning to place about $900 million in China to boost manufacturing capability by 40 percent by 2021. The company is eyeing the top three spot in China's automotive industry according to the person with direct knowledge of the investment plan. In fact, the company is said to have allotted a total of $8.73 billion in strategies targeted to realize this goal. Nissan is aiming to produce as many as 2.1 million cars per year. It was not immediately clear, however, on whether what part of this allotment is comprised of budgetary allocations for electric vehicles.
Nissan needs to brace itself for tough competition as General Motors, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Tesla are all out to take a piece of China's market. After all, the country accounted for as much as 50 percent of electric car sales in 2017 according to The Associated Press. GM and Volkswagen are planning to launch electric sedans, minivans and SUV's this year. Elon Musk is set to build Tesla's Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai.
The Chinese government is increasing electric vehicle sales by as much as 20 percent by 2020 in its bid to make the majority of its cars more environmentally friendly.
