Nissan Opens Design Office in Shanghai

Nissan Opens Design Office in Shanghai
Nissan, Japan's second biggest carmaker, has opened a car design office in Shanghai in a new effort to make its products more suitable for the Chinese car market.

The Shanghai design office, Nissan's eighth facility of its kind in the world, will conduct design research for the Chinese market and co-ordinate with the company's local suppliers, said Shiro Nakamura, Nissan's senior vice-president and chief designer.

The office, which was opened on Friday, will also provide intelligence to Nissan Research and Development in Japan for the entire Asian car market, Nakamura said.

"China is an emerging car market and we hope to learn the habits of customers here through this design office," said the 55-year-old chief designer of Nissan.

"Hatchback and small cars are increasingly popular in China and this trend will continue."

The move came after Nissan's flagship joint venture with the Dongfeng Motor Corp - one of China's top vehicle manufacturers - launched a $40m car development centre last year in Guangzhou, capital city of Guangdong Province.

Analysts said Nissan apparently wants to tailor its products to Chinese customers' demands to boost its rapidly increasing sales in the world's No 3 vehicle market where major auto companies are introducing dozens of new models annually.