Dongfeng Nissan plant in Dalian, China commences production

The Dalian plant of Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company (DFL-PV) commenced production On October 18. In addition to the existing production bases in Huadu of Guangzhou, Xiangyang and Zhengzhou, the Nissan cars produced in China – all of which are for the domestic market – offline from a total of four locations across the country. DFL-PV is a business unit of Dongfeng Motor Co, Ltd. (DFL), Nissan's joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Group Co. DFL-PV is engaged in research and development operations, manufacturing and distribution of passenger vehicles.

With a gross floor area of 1.32 million square metres, the Dalian plant is being developed in two phases. The investment for the first phase totals RMB 5 billion (Rs 5,015 crore), for an initial production capacity of 150,000 units per year. Upon completion of the second phase, the total capacity will expand to 300,000 units per year.

Trevor Mann, Chief Performance Officer of Nissan Motor Co (NML), spoke at the Start-of-Production Ceremony. "The Dalian plant is a statement of our commitment to China and our efforts to continue delivering high-quality products to Chinese consumers nationwide. Starting today, our fresh and innovative X-Trail model will be produced in the Dalian Plant, and I am confident that these cars will enrich the daily lives of many in China."

The Dalian plant is positioned as a production hub for Nissan SUVs. The manufacturing technology, quality and eco standard of the construction of the Dalian plant are aligned with the global standards of Nissan, while the factory management comes from existing Chinese plants.

Susumu Uchikoshi, managing director of DFL-PV, said, "This is a very exciting moment for all of us. It has been just 28 months since we announced the Dalian plant project, and we have overcome many challenges to realize this facility. We are proud of this achievement and poised to deliver high-quality SUVs from this plant to our customers. This plant will strengthen our competitiveness in China, which is the world's largest automotive market."

The Dalian plant represents DFL-PV's foothold in Northern China. Together with the Huadu (first and second) plants in Southern China, Xiangyang and Zhengzhou plants in Central China, DFL-PV says it is well positioned to provide vehicles throughout the country.