Nissan Motor Co, together with Dongfeng Nissan Motor Passenger Vehicle Company (DFL-PV), is making its presence felt at Auto Guangzhou 2014 which opened yesterday. New Nissan and Venucia products, along with concept and other vehicles in the automakers' lineup for China, all are part of the show. Nissan also announced features of the new global partnership with the UEFA Champions League specifically for the Chinese market.

Roel de Vries, corporate vice-president of Nissan, was joined at the show by international football superstar Michael Owen to celebrate the beginning of the UEFA Champions League sponsorship in China.

"With China being the world's largest automotive market, I obviously cannot over-emphasise the importance of this country to our global business," said de Vries. By extending the global excitement that is UEFA Champions League football to China, it is expected that local consumers' understanding and interaction with the Nissan brand will be strengthened. "We will continue strengthening our brand by always turning ‘What if?’ into ‘What is’ as we further expand our performance in China," he added.

The association with the UEFA Champions League is part of Nissan's support of global sports programs which connect fans with the Nissan brand. Nissan also has associations with the City Football Group, Orange Africa Cup of Nations, Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, and the Olympic teams in the UK and Mexico. As well, the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, serves as the GT-R ambassador for Nissan.

To fully illustrate Nissan's ‘Innovation That Excites’ at Auto Guangzhou 2014 is a full lineup of vehicles, including the 370Z and updated March, making their debut at the show. Also featured is the Lannia Concept, a sedan designed for trend-setting ‘Post-80s’ consumers in China.

In line with growing popularity of SUVs in China, DFL-PV is launching its first one, ‘T70’, under the local Venucia brand. The company says T70 delivers excellent power, agility and fuel economy thanks to the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). As well, the new SUV comes with a full range of intelligent technology, including the display audio with smartphone link application tailored for Chinese users, Around View Monitor (AVM) and speed sensing volume control.

"Chinese consumers are looking for a reliable SUV with advanced technology,” said Yong Ren, DFL-PV deputy managing director. "With the T70, we have responded, delivering the best in technology, safety and quality."