Nissan has announced a major “expansion strategy” in the Africa, Middle East and India region as part of its six-year mid-term plan. The Japanese brand said it planned to increase its market share in South Africa (which currently stands at about 10%) “substantially” over the course of the plan.
The company added that its sales in SA had improved some 26% to 53 400 vehicles in fiscal year 2017, and that it hoped to build on this momentum.
The firm said the introduction of new passenger vehicles, including the new Micra, was expected to “boost demand further”.
Peyman Kargar, chairperson of Nissan in Africa, the Middle East and India, told Reuters that Nissan was aiming to raise its market share in SA to “more than 15 percent” by 2022.
How? Well, rather interestingly, Kargar told the news agency that this could be achieved by selling fewer bakkies and more passenger vehicles.
The Japanese automaker furthermore said it was aiming to “build on its strengths in markets” such as South Africa and take advantage of “solid profit margins” in the region. In addition, Nissan revealed that it was “studying further manufacturing opportunities” in sub-Saharan Africa.
Nissan also announced its intention to “accelerate” the Datsun brand’s presence in both new and existing markets.
