Nissan plant in Spain
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NISSAN plans to manufacture between 4,000 and 5,000 Datsun Patrols this year at the Motor lberica, Zona Franca plant, which has the capacity to produce annually 15,000 of the four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Ebro vehicles now being imported into the UK (CM February 5) are also built at the Motor lberica plant near Barcelona, where the first Spanish-built Patrol came off the production line on January 27.
Nissan, majority shareholder in Motor lberica, is the first Japanese company to establish a commercial vehicle manufacturing base in Europe. The export of Spanish-built Patrols is expected to begin in 1984, when Nissan's light van range, the C20 or Vanette, is also scheduled to become a Motor lberica product and annual production of that model at Zona Franco is planned to eventually reach 15,000.
The four-wheel-drive Datsun Patrol range, with petrol and die sel engines, was introduced into the UK in January 1982 (CMJanuary 30, 1982) and 93 models were registered here last year, the overwhelming majority petrol powered. Nissan has no plans to switch production of right-hand drive Patrols from Japan to Spain.
Nissan's results for 1982 show clearly how the company's policy of expanding its manufacturing facilities outside Japan, rather than continuing to export ckd vehicles has begun to be put into effect. While total production of Nissan commercial vehicles of 3.5-tonnes gvw and over was down by 16.6 per cent compared with 1981, at 574,665, production of ckd vehicles was down 43.3 per cent at 30,240.