Peugeot Citroen to build its first factory in Russia

PSA Peugeot Citroen, a French automobile and motorcycle manufacturer, is planning to build its first factory in Russia, one of the fastest expanding markets in Europe.

The new plant will be established in the town of Kaluga, southwest of Moscow. The company will start the production by assembling mid-sized vehicles in 2010.

The French auto maker is in goal to have 100,000 vehicles sold in 2010. It hopes to sell three times of that annually in the following years.

Same as other global firms, may it be the maker of Acura Integra cold air intake filter among others; Peugeot Citroen will build their cars in a Russian plant to avoid heavy import duties for the Russian market, a lucrative market as correspondents regard it.

This year, around 2 million new cars were sold in the country. However, analysts say that low levels of ownership mean that there is room for rapid growth in demand.

Separately, Hyundai Motor Co., the world’s 6th largest auto maker, also plans to build a car factory in the county. The Japanese car maker is willing to invest 400 million dollars to establish the plant in St. Petersburg within the first half of 2008. It is also in goal to manufacturer 100,000 vehicles a year.

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Nissan Qashqai hits 100,000 Customer Sales in Europe

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., a Japanese automobile manufacturer, began selling its Qashqai – the company’s very popular compact crossover - last March. During the last week of November, the vehicle reached the landmark of 100,000 customer sales in Europe.

By fact, the UK, Russia, and Italy are the Qashqai’s three largest markets. The demand for Qashqai in most countries, which includes Ireland, has dramatically surpassed expectations.

To tap the surging demand for the car in Europe, Nissan has increased production by 20 percent last June at its factory in Sunderland, to where the compact crossover is manufactured.

The Qashqai has strong distinctive design that sits between a traditional hatchback style and a more robust elevated SUV shape that is very appealing to the European market. European buyers were attracted to the premium quality interior and overall design of the Nissan Qashqai. Nissan says that buyers of Qashqai in Europe typically used to drive a compact hatchback (like a Megane or Astra), an entry-level family hatchback (like a Laguna or Avensis), or an economy SUV (like a Sportage or Hyundai Santa Fe).

The athloneadvertiser.ie says, “The Qashqai was designed and developed in Europe following extensive research of local market buying patterns and a deep consumer analysis of unmet needs among car-buyers. Nissan Europe’s product planners identified an opportunity in the market to design and develop a vehicle which provided more dynamic design, without the perceived aggression of a compact SUV. Yet it should maintain the elevated driving position which is popular, but not at the expense of driving enjoyment. The Qashqai is that model.”

The Qashqai was designed at Nissan Design Europe in London. The technical development was made at the company’s technical centres in England, Spain, and Germany.

So far, the Nissan Qashqai was awarded the maximum five-star rating for adult occupant protection from the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP). It has obtained the highest ever recorded score for any vehicle. In that case, Honda, the maker of Acura Integra antenna, among others, is likely facing another good opponent in the market.

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