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Japanese auto major Nissan today said that to achieve its target of 5% share of the Indian passenger car market by 2020, it would launch a couple more vehicles.
One of them will have the CMF-A platform, which Nissan shares with France's Renault. The company said that currently 65% of the products from its Chennai facility are catering to export markets.
Speaking to reporters after flagging off Nissan's 500,000th car to the export markets, a feat achieved within five years, Guillaume Sicard, president, Nissan Indian operations, said that the Renault-Nissan Alliance have set a combined target of 10% market share by 2020, during which Indian passenger car market is expected to reach around six million units a year.
Currently Nissan has seven products for the Indian passenger car market.
"We will launch one product on CMF-A platform and another under Nissan brand," said Sicard, while refusing to comment on the details of the product.
The CMF-A platform is likely to be Datsun RediGo, which will come under Datsun brand. Currently Datsun has two products -- Datsun Go and Datsun Go Plus. Datsun, which caters to the sub Rs 4 lakh market, was launched in September 2013.
Currently, the company is exporting cars to 106 countries and 72 per cent of those are Nissan Micra, 25% Sunny and balance are Datsun. Around 70 per cent goes to Europe and balance to Middle East and Africa. "Africa and Middle East markets are promising for Datsun brand, while Europe market is reviving overall especially for Micra," he said.
Besides cars the company also exports components. Nissan exports over 1,800 types of manufacturing parts to 34 plants across 24 countries. Nissan India stands in the second position in volume of shipping parts within the Nissan world.
To boost sales in the domestic market, Sicard said the company would look at expanding its dealership to 300 in two years from the current 200. Last fiscal Nissan reported 24 per cent growth in sales to reach 47,474 units.
Nissan hopes that the brand Datsun, which is targeted at first time car buyers, would be one of the top three brands by 2020 in India.
