Speaking at the Geneva Motor Show, Japanese car maker Nissan has announced major plans for its range of cars, planning to release 51 different car models over a six year period.
The figure will not be entirely new vehicles but some tweaks and alterations to existing car models, although they did state that they will start production of a new or enhanced model every two weeks until 2018. This move has been hailed by British politicians as Nissan announced they will bring £125million in investments and create 2,000 new jobs at its Sunderland plant to support the plans.
Nissan’s Executive Vice President Andy Palmer said that Nissan is a ‘brand on the move’. Last year the firm sold 4.2 million cars and predict they will sell over 4.7 million by the end of the year. The new plan is part of an overarching strategy to boost sales and estimate it will double its sales figures to eight million by 2016.
Last month Nissan revealed its market share in Europe was about 4% because of a 25% increase in sales. Nissan aims to increase that to an 8% share which means they will become the largest Asian branded car manufacturer in Europe.
They are also planning to revise their market strategy. The firm had attracted criticism in the past because their models were loosely connected and they failed to build a strong brand loyalty like Ford or Volkswagen have. Nissan decided to connect ranges allowing customers to grow with the brand. Mr Palmer compares this change to a Father and Son relationship, in which cars would look similar but allows for different sizes and abilities.