Nissan to Launch Its Own Minicar Production

Nissan Motor Co. tells The Nikkei it plans to build a new minicar model in its own factory.

Until now, Nissan has sold rebadged minivehicles designed and supplied by other companies. But last year Nissan introduced the Dayz mini-wagon, a vehicle it co-developed from the initial product planning phase with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. MMC supplies two variants of the car.

CEO Carlos Ghosn says Nissan has decided to develop and build a new minivehicle on its own. He did not reveal the timing or production targets.

Bringing the new car's production inside will help Nissan offset a drop in domestic production from a targeted 1 million units annually to an expected 911,000 units this year, The Nikkei says. Ghosn tells the newspaper that MMC will continue to supply it with the Dayz models.