Friday, April 20, 2007

Nissan To Pull The Wraps Off New Livina

Late this month, the Nissan Motors Co., Ltd. will unveil the latest addition to its family of global cars. The second variant of the Livina will be introduced at the Auto Shanghai 2007 from April 22 to 28 2007.

Livina, the second variant of the automaker's new family of global cars, will not be camouflaged by a Nissan tonneau cover for a long time because it is set to go on sale in China late April. Then it will be offered to other global markets to boost the standing of the automaker in the worldwide auto sales realm.

The all-new Livina, a compact seven-seat minivan, is introduced by Nissan and its affiliate Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company at the Guangzhou International Motor Show on July 6, 2006. The vehicle is powered by the Nissan MR18DE engine and other efficient auto parts from the Japanese automaker.

According to the automaker, the Nissan Livina will be its first in a line of new global vehicles, and is the first Nissan vehicle to debut in China before being released in other countries. "In July 2006, Nissan announced plans to introduce a series of new cars for our key global markets, with a sales forecast of 200,000 units per year. This new family of global cars represents a substantial investment for Nissan," said Nissan's executive vice president Carlos Tavares. "We expect the Livina, our second new model in this family, to make a significant contribution to our business globally as it is expected to become a high-volume model," he continued.

The first variant of the vehicle was unveiled by the automaker in China in November last year. The variant was based on the product concept of 'active and high quality', and the Livina was engineered to deliver a high-level of agility and ride comfort, with the most spacious interior for a vehicle in its class. The exterior of the vehicle features a bold and elegant styling while the well-equipped interior flaunts the neat and refined finish.

Same with other variants of the automaker in the family of global cars, the new Livina has been engineered to offer utmost comfort, safety and performance. The minivan, designed and engineered at the automaker's Technical Center in Atsugi, Japan, is currently built on a Renault-Nissan Alliance platform.

Earlier, the PT Nissan Motor Indonesia unveiled the new Grand Livina in Jakarta. The Grand Livina, manufactured in a recently expanded and refurbished plant of NMI, is expected to contribute substantially to the sales of the automaker in Indonesia.

"The Grand Livina is an irrefutable example of Nissan's commitment to our customers in Indonesia. With seven variants in two engine sizes, we expect the Grand Livina to be a popular choice for Indonesian customers. For 2007, we expect sales of this model to reach 12,000 units, out of our total domestic sales of 21,000 units," intimated Nissan's COO Toshiyuki Shiga, who is in charge with the Livina's launch in Jakarta.

About the Author
Ryan Thomas is a native of Denver, Colorado. He grew up in a family of car aficionados. He now resides in Detroit where he owns a service shop and works part time as a consultant for a local automotive magazine.

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