Nissan Targets 15% Japan Market Share, to Debut 51 Models

Nissan Motor Co., Japan’s second- largest automaker, aims to increase domestic sales to about 600,000 cars in a drive to hold 15 percent of the nation’s vehicle market by 2013 as it recovers from this year’s earthquake.

Executive Vice President Hiroto Saikawa disclosed the target as part of a six-year plan yesterday in Yokohama. In the long term, Nissan seeks to boost market share to about 20 percent, Takao Katagiri, also executive vice president, said at the same roundtable. In 2010, Nissan’s domestic market share was 13 percent.

Japan’s automakers are recovering after the record quake and tsunami in March disrupted output and triggered power and parts shortages. Nissan expects to resume full production worldwide by October, targeting a 10 percent increase to 4.6 million global vehicle sales this fiscal year.

The automaker aims at domestic sales of 600,000 cars and exports of between 400,000 and 600,000, Saikawa said. Nissan sold 460,000 vehicles in Japan and exported 610,000 in the year ended March.

Nissan posted net income of 85 billion yen ($1.1 billion) in the three months ended June 30, beating analysts’ estimates. Toyota Motor Corp., the country’s largest automaker, raised its full-year profit forecast by 39 percent and Honda Motor Co., the third biggest, increased its forecast 18 percent.

Nissan will introduce 51 models over the next six years as it aims to capture 10 percent of global luxury-car sales. The models will meet demand for eco-friendly and compact cars, with half targeted at the Japanese market, Saikawa said.

The automaker seeks to achieve 8 percent levels in both global market share and operating profit margin by fiscal 2016, from 5.8 percent and 6.1 percent respectively in the year ended March 31, according to a midterm plan announced in June.

To contact the reporter on this story: Anna Mukai in Tokyo at amukai1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kae Inoue at kinoue@bloomberg.net; Paul Tighe at ptighe@bloomberg.net

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Nissan Targets 15% Japan Market Share

Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg

Nissan will introduce 51 models over the next six years, with half targeted at the Japanese market.

Nissan will introduce 51 models over the next six years, with half targeted at the Japanese market. Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg