Nissan Mulling Use of More Car Parts from China

Tokyo, Sept. 17 (Jiji Press)–Nissan Motor Co. is considering using more Chinese vehicle components as part of its cost-cutting efforts, officials of the struggling Japanese automaker said Wednesday. Nissan hopes to curb costs by using general-purpose products from Chinese manufacturers that are highly cost-competitive. “The quality (of Chinese products) is improving rapidly,” Tatsuzo Tomita, who is in charge of examining Nissan’s cost-cutting measures, told reporters. In April, Nissan launched its new N7 electric vehicle in the Chinese market, enjoying strong sales. “We’ve acquired a Chinese way of doing business,” Tomita said. “The task now is how we will adopt it (into our operations),” he added, indicating that the company will leverage the know-how gained through its N7 sales in China. In its restructuring measures announced in May, Nissan said it aims to cut costs, including those for raw materials and parts procurement, by 250 billion yen by fiscal 2026. The company plans to reduce parts complexity by 70 pct through efforts such as adopting general-purpose components and using fewer colors for vehicle exteriors and interiors. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]