R E V I E W O F O P E R A T I O N S : A U T O M O T I V E
Asia & Oceania
Exports from Japan supplement in-market production in Asia. Since beginning exports of the new Sunny to Asian markets in January 1995, Nissan has been actively promoting this vehicle to build sales volume.
Nissan continued to build its presence in Southeast Asia during the past fiscal year. Unit sales growth was particularly notable in Thailand and the Philippines, where Nissan achieved double digit gains in each market. The AD Resort line of wagons and pickup trucks, designed for Southeast Asian markets and manufactured in Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines and Malaysia, are core models in Nissan's Asian lineup. As part of our drive to make optimal use of our production network outside Japan, we plan to nearly double automobile production in ASEAN nations in cooperation with our partners and through new joint ventures. Exports from Japan supplement AD Resort sales, and in January 1995, Nissan also began exporting the new Sunny to Asian markets.
In Korea, Nissan established its Korea Office in Seoul as part of our comprehensive technical assistance agreement with Samsung Motors Inc. This agreement covers development of a new car model for Samsung, and support for assembly plant construction and operation, parts localization and vehicle sales and service. Samsung is now constructing a plant for this venture that is scheduled to begin production in January 1998. In December 1994, Nissan concluded an agreement with Nanjing Auto Works (now Yuejin Automobile Group Corp.) to provide technical assistance for commercial vehicles. Moreover, in March 1996, Nissan received approval to manufacture and market commercial vehicles at Zhengzhou Nissan Automobile Co., Ltd., a joint venture with Zhengzhou Light Truck Factory and other partners. Elsewhere in the region, sales of the NMUK-built Micra (March) began in Australia, and Nissan constructed a 12,000-unit-capacity knockdown plant in Indonesia that will begin production in October 1996.
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Pickup trucks made at Siam Nissan Automobile Co., Ltd. in Thailand are popular in Southeast Asia because of their versatility.
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