The Nissan Juke has been spotted testing in China. The Juke will arrive on the China car market as an import sometime next year. Whether the Juke will be made in China in the future is still not decided. The location however where these pics where made points out to local production.

The pics where taken near the Zhengzhou-Nissan factory, the joint venture that makes Nissan commercial vehicles for the Chinese market. Zhengzhou is a subsidiary of Dongfeng, Nissan’s partner in the Dongfeng-Nissan joint venture that makes Nissan passenger cars. Making the Juke in China would make a lotta sense, this segment of the market is very competitive with 99% of competitors locally made.

Via: Autohome.

The new Nissan Sylphy debuted at the Beijing Auto Show last month, it will be launched on the Chinese car market in June. Price is expected to range from 130.000 to 180.000 yuan. The Sylphy is made in China by the Dongfeng-Nissan joint venture. The old Nissan Sylphy will continue as the ‘Sylphy Classic’.

Engines: 1.6, 1.8, and possibly a new 1.6 turbo. Earlier reports in the Chinese press said the 2.0 from the old Sylphy would continue in the new Sylphy as well, but new reports indicate this might not be so. The 1.6 turbo would in that case actually replace the 2.0. Size of the new Sylphy: 4610/1760/1495, wheelbase is 2700.

Via: Sohu.com.

The Venucia D50 has entered the already extremely crowded China car market. Venucia is a sub-brand from the Dongfeng-Nissan joint venture, the D50 is their first car and based on the old Nissan Tiida. Price starts at 67.800 and ends at 83.800 yuan and that is cheaper than expected.

A cheap price indeed is the only way Venucia will sell these old cars. Sub-brands are an idea from the Chinese governments that hopes to obtain more intellectual property rights. In a joint venture the IP sits with the foreign partner, in a sub-brand the IP sits with the joint venture and can therefore be used more freely by the Chinese partner.

Interestingly nobody is happy with the sub-brand-thing. The foreign partner is unhappy for obvious reasons, but the Chinese partner is also unhappy because it would rather spend its time and resources developing its own brands. All sub-brands so are halfhearted attempts to satisfy the government, using old cars, old platforms and old engines.

But at least the logo is cool. Power comes from a 1.6 with 86kw and 153nm, mated to a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic.

Via: Sohu.com.

The new Nissan Sylphy debuted at the Beijing Auto Show, it will be made in China by the Dongfeng-Nissan joint venture. The Sylphy will also be made in Japan and sold as Sentra in the US and Pulsar in Australia. The China-made Sylphy will be listed on the Chinese car market in June.

Engines: 1.6 and 2.0 from the old Sylphy, and there will be a new 1.6 turbo mated to a new CVT transmission. Price will start around 135.000 yuan. The old Sylphy isn’t dead, it will continue under the catchy name ‘Sylphy Classic‘.

Venucia is a sub-brand from the Dongfeng-Nissan joint venture, they will make cheap cars and electric cars for the Chinese market. Their first car is the Venucia D50 which is based on an old Nissan Tiida. Their first electric car will be based on the Nissan Leaf and this E-Concept previews how it will look.

The Venucia ‘Leaf’ will hit the Chinese market in 2015. Chinese media reports that the batteries for the Venucia EV will also be made in China to save money and so to make the EV cheaper. Nissan clearly has a lot of faith in its partner and in the Chinese electric vehicle market. Price yet unknown but it won’t be cheap, I asked around and heard a very unofficial 200.000 yuan.

French automaker Renault has reportedly signed a preliminary agreement to produce cars in China with domestic partner Dongfeng. Sources close to the arrangement say it marks “the end of an initial step” ahead of a deal which would provide Renault with its first factory in the world’s biggest car market, AFP reports.

Renault has declined to comment on the information but last year said it would begin to build cars in China after 2014.

The French group has already established a presence in China via partner car maker Nissan of Japan, which also works with Dongfeng. In February, Renault boss Carlos Ghosn said the group might manufacture electric cars and sell some top of the line models in China.

Chinese press reports said Renault was looking to set up shop in Wuhan, in central China, where Dongfeng already has an auto factory. Ghosn might say more on the subject during the Beijing auto show, which opens its doors to media on April 23.

Via: MSN.com.

The very first spy shots from the new Nissan Teana testing in China. The Teana is made in China by the Dongfeng-Nissan joint venture. The new-gen Teana will be basically the same car as the new US-spec Nissan Altima. The new Teana will debut in China early next year.

The current China-made Nissan Teana. Price starts at 190.000 yuan and ends at 370.000 yuan. Engines: 2.0, 2.5 V6 and 3.5 V6. The Teana competes with fine cars such as the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Volkswagen Passat and Mazda 6. The new Teanna will get the same engines and there will be a hybrid as well.

Via: Sohu.com.

Venucia, Kaichen in Chinese, is a new sub-brand from the Dongfeng-Nissan joint venture. Their fisrt car is the Nissan Tiida-based Venucia D50 which will be listed on the China car market on April 25. Venucia will also make an EV, it will be based on the Nissan Leaf. One new spy shot shows its design is only slightly different than the Leaf, it will hit the market “before 2015″.

Nissan Leaf and Venucia EV compared. The Venucia EV will be made in Dongfeng-Nissan’s Huadu Factory in Guangdong Province. Chinese media reports that the batteries for the Venucia EV will also be made in China to save money and so to make the EV cheaper. The fact that Nissan wants to share the Leaf’s technologies with its Chinese partner shows a great deal of trust and determination to enter the new energy market in China.

Via: Sohu.com.

Nissan Motor and Dongfeng Motor Group Co will spin off the heavy truck segment of their China venture to Dongfeng’s state parent, paving the way for local production of Renault and Infiniti cars as well as a possible new Dongfeng-Volvo truck tie-up, Chinese media reported on Monday.

Nissan’s passenger car business in the venture will remain intact, as will its light commercial truck production with Shanghai-listed Dongfeng Automobile Co, Sina.com said citing unspecified sources.

Talk of a Dongfeng heavy truck venture with Volvo has been swirling around for years despite both sides having yet to provide any updates on the issue.

The tieup with Volvo is intended to shore up Dongfeng’s heavy truck business as the unit within the venture with Nissan has been making Dongfeng-branded heavy trucks only, the report said.

To get the consent of Nissan, Dongfeng would in turn back producing Nissan’s premier brand Infiniti as well as Renault cars in its venture with the Japanese automaker.

Dongfeng’s spokesman could not be reached for comment. A Nissan representative said the firm had no information on the deal.

Local production, which can guarantee steady supply and cut costs, has been seen as essential for foreign automakers to expand their footprint in the world’s biggest auto market.

BMW, Volkswagen’s Audi and Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz, which now dominate China’s luxury car segment, started making cars in China years ago.

Renault SA, part of the Nissan-Renault alliance, is one of the few foreign automakers that has been exporting cars to China, to a lackluster response so far.

Under the Dongfeng-Nissan deal Dongfeng Motor Corp will take over the venture’s heavy truck unit effective July 1, the report said.

However it did not give a timetable for any Dongfeng-Volvo truck partnership or local production of Infiniti and Renault cars.

Volvo pulled out of an alliance with China National Heavy-Duty Truck Corp years ago due to sluggish sales.

Via: EconomicTimes.

This is the first rendering from the new Nissan Sylphy for the Chinese car market. The new Sylphy will debut at the Beijing Auto Show in April and it will be listed in June, it is made in China by the Dongfeng-Nissan joint venture.

The current Nissan Sylphy (pic) will continue as ‘Sylphy Classic‘, the current Sylphy also underpins the new Dongfeng Fengshen A60. Engines for the new Sylphy: current 1.6 and 2.0 will continue, and there will be a new 1.6 turbo mated to a new CVT transmission. Price will start around 135.000 yuan.

Via: Autohome.