Nissan Group of China is to set up a research center with Tsinghua University to develop EVs and speed up the electrification of the company.
The research center will focus on EVs, recharging infrastructure and battery recycling. Nissan has been working on intelligent driving with Tsinghua since 2016.
As demand for fuel vehicles falls in China, overseas car manufacturers are increasingly envious of China's industrial chain and export capacity. Nissan is considering exporting internal combustion engine vehicles from China as well as EVs.
Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen is also set to become a global export base for Stellantis. Kia plans to increase annual exports to over 200,000 by 2026. In August, Dongfeng announced a new collaboration with Nissan on EV research.
In the past year, penetration of EVs in the Chinese market has increased, accompanied by generally falling prices. Japanese brands, including Nissan, have seen varying declines in sales.
Sales of Nissan in China this year are only 700,000, less than three-quarters of last year’s number.
