The Los Angeles Motor Show may be in full swing, but attention is already turning to the Geneva Motor Show in March, 2010, where Nissan will reveal its new V-Platform technology and an all-new global compact car.
The V-Platform is expected to be incorporated into at least two other models over the next three years as Nissan instigates measures to begin production of its new model at overseas manufacturing sites such as India, China and Thailand rather than focusing on established markets such as the US, Europe and Japan. Nissan’s objective, it appears, is to build a series of models on the same platform at three overseas production sites that will then be sold in more than 160 countries.
To achieve this goal, a new production process is needed to maintain quality levels, packaging and competitive pricing as Nissan looks into growing customer needs for compact cars in emerging markets; and attempts to further its strong presence in this segment, where it occupies more than 20 per cent of the world market.
Its new engineering initiative has been fine tuned to meet the requirements of the new V-Platform, while keeping costs down. According to Noritaka Tsuru, the former V-Platform chief engineer and current general manager of vehicle project purchasing, the concept is seen as a “breakthrough” for Nissan and not just a new car project. The directive stipulated that the engineers would be working on a series of new cars and not just one and that they were expected to create a whole new method in the way new cars are developed.
The company invited engineers from the three main sites in India, Thailand and China and sent Japanese support staff with their overseas counterparts to assist with start-up procedures. By doing that, Nissan hoped to maintain high quality levels while optimising local production methods.
According to Vincent Cobee, the corporate vice president and programme director of the V-Platform, building a new platform means improvements for fuel economy and CO2 emissions. It also allows the cars to fit a high specification while remaining affordable. It is hoped that one million vehicles a year on the new platform may be achievable.
