NISSAN has begun producing the Navara in Argentina, making it the fifth country to manufacture the company’s most popular pickup as global demand continues to grow.
The expansion of Nissan’s global manufacturing footprint, at Alliance partner Renault’s Santa Isabel plant in Cordoba, is a key milestone for the company. Nissan has announced a mid-term plan to increase sales of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) by 40% by 2022 globally.
The Navara is known as the Nissan Frontier in South America, and is available in 38 markets across the region. Thanks to its global popularity, the model is produced at facilities in Spain, China, Mexico, Thailand and now Argentina.
“With more than 15 million Nissan pickup owners across 180 countries, trucks are a growing segment across the world and a particular strength of Nissan,” said Ashwani Gupta, senior vice president of Nissan’s LCV business.
“Today’s start of production is fantastic news for the region, as well as for Nissan and the Alliance. We already have a strong presence in Latin America and this production line will ensure better delivery of our pickups as the demand for them around the world continues to grow.”
Increasingly, Nissan’s light commercial vehicles are the favoured option for customers due to their authentic capability and the comfort they provide on and off the road. The company’s continued focus on the Nissan Intelligent Mobility vision provides an additional layer of sophistication, with advanced technologies available on the Navara.
With more than 80 years of experience designing, developing and building trucks and vans, Nissan has earned an enviable reputation for pickups that is synonymous with endurance and capability. One in every six Nissan vehicles now sold globally is a light commercial vehicle.
A key component in Nissan’s ambitious regional strategy is to become one of the top three vehicle brands in Latin America. The $600 million investment in the facility at Cordoba is also expected to generate up to 3,000 new jobs and the ability to produce 70,000 Alliance vehicles a year.
The Renault industrial complex in Cordoba will be manufacturing one-tonne pickup trucks for Alliance partners Renault and Nissan, as well as Mercedes-Benz, as part of an ongoing collaboration with Daimler. The three pickups will share structural components, while preserving their own brand identities, design, and distinctive features.
