Japanese carmaker Nissan is aiming for sales of 70,000 vehicles in the Gulf region this year, company officials said Sunday.
"Our growth targets are ambitious. Hence we have not seen growth in sales as expected," Takeshi Nakajima, general manager of marketing and business planning for Nissan Middle East FZE told the Gulf News, after the launch of the New Nissan Patrol in Abu Dhabi.
Nissan's total sales including passenger cars and 4WDs and commercial vehicles were 63,174 units in the Gulf Cooperation Council in 2000, with the UAE sales totaling 14,336.
"We are expecting higher volumes this year, due to four new launches in 2001," Nakajima said.
In terms of volumes and profitability, the Saudi market leads the Gulf for Nissan vehicles, he said. "Overall, we are satisfied with growth in this highly competitive GCC market."
Nissan's closest rival is Toyota.
In September, Nissan will launch the Urban Vans, to be followed in October by the luxury Infinity 345 – Albawaba.com
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