Nissan has announced that its new global compact car based on its upcoming V-Platform technology will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2010. Nissan aims to build a series of models on the same platform at plants in India, China and Thailand, for sale in more than 160 countries.
"We were told from the outset that we would be working on not just a new car project, but instead a 'breakthrough'. The directive also stipulated that we’d be working on a series of cars, not just one model, and that we were expected to create a whole new method in the way we develop cars. And this new line-up of compact vehicles had to generate huge volume as well as profits," comments former V-Platform chief engineer Noritaka Tsuru, currently general manager of Vehicle Project Purchasing.
The OEM traditionally launches production of new models in established markets such as the US, Europe and Japan. With the change in strategy, Nissan has incorporated an all-new production process to maintain quality levels and competitive pricing.
“We made the decision to build a series of cars in countries that transcended all markets, and in so doing, will be a superb combination of functionality, modernity, good design and handling, roominess and status satisfaction. The fact that we will not launch these cars from Japan, Europe or the US will have absolutely no impact on their quality. Our proven, global high quality production system has guaranteed world-class standards," explained Vincent Cobee, corporate vice president and programme director of the V-Platform.
"My team devised a clever way to develop a competitive volume seller that will not be built in existing core markets. Not an easy combination," noted Tsuru.
The manufacturer explains that the project was based on three key factors: growing customer needs for compact cars in emerging markets, the fact that Nissan has not had a strong presence in this segment which occupies more than 20% of the world market, and the opportunity that such a global strategy gives Nissan to use both global reach and technical capabilities.
Nissan invited local engineers from the three main sites of production in India, Thailand and China to the Global Production Engineering Center at Nissan Zama Operations Center to learn the Nissan Production Way (NPW). Then the company sent Japanese support staff with their overseas counterparts back to their countries to assist with start-up procedures at all three plants.
Additional models based on the same platform are expected to follow soon after the arrival of the first global car.
source: automotiveworld
