April 18 (Reuters) – Japan’s Nissan Motor Co Ltd ( 7201.T ) unveiled a new electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) at the Shanghai auto show on Tuesday as it underlined its commitment to the Chinese market .
“We are bringing more electrified models such as Ariya, e-Power Sylphy and e-Power X-Trail. We are also planning to launch an electric vehicle designed specifically for the Chinese market,” said Ashwani Gupta, Chief Operating Officer, Nissan. at the show
China has long been a key market for Nissan, but like other global automakers, it faces increasing pressure and the threat of declining market share from the rise of cars of own production.
Gupta said the new vehicle, called the Arizon, will offer a virtual personal assistant, called Eporo, and will feature a low center of gravity with no structural pillars, a move the company says improves the car’s spacious interior.
“In the future, software-defined vehicles will continue to redefine (vehicles) … making cars an increasingly integrated part of our digital lifestyle,” Gupta said.
Once a pioneer in the global electric vehicle (EV) market with the Leaf, Nissan has long since ceded dominance to Tesla Inc ( TSLA.O ) and has struggled in China against BYD ( 002594.SZ ), the biggest player in electric vehicles in the country.
Nissan’s latest electric offering, the Ariya crossover, has been hampered by problems on its high-tech production line, Reuters reported last month, slowing the delivery of a car designed to put the maker of ‘Japanese cars on the way back.
The Ariya is supposed to be the first of 19 new battery electric vehicles that Nissan has said it plans to launch by 2030. S&P Global Ratings recently downgraded Nissan’s debt rating to junk status, saying it is unlikely that margins and sales volumes improved as quickly as before. expected
Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by Kim Coghill
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