Nissan wants to be big in Russia. Right now, the brand brand lays claim to 5.9 percent of the Russian market, and the plan is to increase share to ten percent by 2016. That means moving nearly 500,000 vehicles a year, more than triple the 161,000 total units moved in 2011. Nissan plans to muscle up its production at its St. Petersburg plant, doubling output to 100,000 vehicles for 2014.
With upgrades to the press and plastics shops, the St. Petersburg facility will produce five different models at the same time, including the Qashqai, Teana, X-Trail and Murano. The revived Datsun brand will also figure into the plans. Datsun is being ramped up in growth markets as a low-cost boutique product developed and produced locally to appeal to an emerging customer base.
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