Nissan Plans All-Chinese Staff for Dalian Plant

When Nissan Motor Co. and partner Dongfeng Motor Group Co. open their new factory in Dalian, China, this year, the facility will be run exclusively by Chinese employees.

The strategy is intended to avoid anti-Japanese demonstrations like the ones sparked in late 2012 by a territorial dispute between the two countries. The Nikkei says the move also will eliminate the cost of supporting Japanese executives working abroad.

Nissan tells the Tokyo-based newspaper it will staff the 5 billion-yuan ($827 million) facility with experienced senior Chinese managers trained at three other Chinese factories it operates jointly with Dongfeng.

The Dalian plant will employ 2,000 workers and have initial capacity to make 150,000 X-Trail SUVs and Qashqai crossover vehicles per year. Nissan says output could be doubled in less than two years by adding an adjoining second factory.