According to Nissan, a major automobile company in Japan, India is emerging as one of the major global export hubs for it. This is when the company is beginning to ship it to new countries, said a senior company official. The company is eyeing the introduction of hybrid and CNG vehicles and more models in India while it has commenced shipping 10,000 units of the left-hand drive (LHD) Magnite across various global markets. This is in addition to its already announced lineup for the country, as Frank Torres, Nissan India Operations President told PTI in an interview.
Torres also said that global development of the possible merger of Nissan and Honda would not impact the company's announced plans for new products, including two mid-size SUV models (one five-seater and one seven-seater) and one electric SUV. The company has a target of tripling its domestic and export volumes to 1 lakh each per annum by the end of FY26 in India.
"India is moving as one the global export hubs for Nissan...With the start of exports of the left-hand drive version of the Magnite, we will be exporting to a total of 65 countries now, thus becoming one of the highest hubs of export globally for Nissan," Torres commented.
Earlier, Nissan Motor India had a record of exporting to 20 countries, which now will rise to 45 more new countries with the commencement of shipments to left-hand drive countries.
This month, the company has a plan of exporting 2,000 units to the Middle East, North Africa and Asia Pacific regions, over 5,100 units of LHD Magnite to select Latin American markets, including Mexico. Its shipment has a target of over 10,000 units of the LHD Magnite by the end of February 2025.
Torres, who is also the Region Divisional Vice President of Business Transformation (AMIEO - Africa, Middle East, India, Europe, Oceania) for Nissan, said - “shipments of the LHD Magnite are part of the company's 'One Car, One World' strategy and showcases India's big potential.”
With the start of shipments to LHD markets from India, he said India, along with the UK, will be the biggest hub for exports for Nissan within the AMIEO region.
As per the Indian market is concerned, Torres said that all the earlier plans are on track and the company is even thinking of further steps to accelerate growth shortly.
"We are also considering another step. We are studying different power trains to add to our cars like hybrid and CNG. EV is already announced, which we will have before the end of FY26," he noted.
Moreover, he said, "We are also studying our lineup to ensure how we also accelerate with additional new models, which we have not announced and we are in the final phase to confirm, but we are thinking of expanding further".
Notably, for FY26, Nissan India had stated that it would triple its domestic sales and exports at 1 lakh each per annum.