Renault-Nissan Aims to Sell 10 Million Vehicles by 2017

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn tells The Nikkei that the alliance partners plan to boost their combined global sales to 10 million vehicles by the fiscal year ending in March 2017 from 8.1 million units in 2012-2013.

Those totals include the sales of Russia's OAO AvtoVAZ, of which the alliance partners are to take control in 2014.

Ghosn says the sales growth relies on a three-prong strategy: increasing electric vehicle sales, strengthening the vehicle lineups of the three carmakers and expanding in new markets. He says that last objective will more than offset Renault's weak volume in Europe, where the company doesn't expect a rebound until 2016.

Nissan plans to reintroduce its Datsun brand to sell budget vehicles in emerging markets. The company also aims to hike deliveries by its Infiniti luxury brand to 500,000 vehicles by 2016-2017 from 173,000 units in the past fiscal year.

The partners are building new factories in such countries as Brazil, China and Mexico. Renault, Nissan and AvtoVAZ have set a goal of 1.7 million units of annual capacity by 2016 in Russia, where they sold 890,400 vehicles in 2012.