Nissan is partnering with China to tackle the global electric vehicle market. To outdo its competitors, the Japanese automotive giant must employ every conceivable tactic.
China is already leading the electric vehicle front, and Nissan also wants to turn this to its advantage.
The automotive giant will allow China’s leading universities to assist with the technology and research around electric vehicles, and Nissan will then sell a range of electric vehicles that have been developed and manufactured in China. Such an agreement was finalized on Sunday.
Nissan Aims for Global Domination
Nissan is thus continuing on the same track as competitors like Tesla, Ford, and BMW – whose cars are also manufactured in Chinese factories – and then sold in the global market.
In Nissan’s case, the automaker wants cars with internal combustion engines and electric and hybrid vehicles, all developed in Chinese factories – which have enormous capacity for lower manufacturing costs – to be exported to global markets.
Flooded Chinese Market
However, the Chinese car market is a tough nut to crack, as it is already flooded with a variety of cheap Chinese car manufacturers.
As more and more companies aim to win the electric vehicle race, prices are constantly being pushed down, making it difficult for foreign companies like Nissan to compete.
Despite this, Nissan wants to invest more in the Chinese market, which has recently shown a decline in sales. China accounted for about a fifth of Nissan’s global sales of approximately 2.8 million vehicles in the first ten months of the year, down from over a third for the same period last year, according to Reuters.
“We hope that the collaboration will help us gain a deeper understanding of the Chinese market and develop strategies that better meet the needs of customers in China,” says Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida.