Nissan Plans to Further Expand in Mideast, Central Asia

By: Yassmine ElSayed

CAIRO, Mar. 19 (SEE) - Nissan Motor Co. plans to more than double the number of factories it has in the Middle East and central Asia by 2022, Bloomberg reported.

The plans of the Japanese automaker come as it seeks to secure the top market share in some of the region’s most populous and wealthiest nations.

The company currently has three factories in India, Egypt and South Africa. It wants to add facilities in countries including Pakistan and Algeria," said Peyman Kargar, chairman of Nissan in Africa, the Middle East and India, in an interview. "Others would come later."

“We want to more than double our industrial footprint in the Middle East, Africa and India by 2022,” said Peyman.

Nissan’s outlook for Egypt is optimistic, Peyman said the government’s decision drop customs duties on cars imported from the European Union is a challenge in the short and medium term. The company has had “very positive” discussions with the government regarding this issue, he said.

“We asked them to support the local industry to be able to compete, to not put us in a less competitive situation.

According to Bloomberg, Egypt, with a population of around 100 million, is also considered a strategic market for Nissan, with plans to increase output from its factory there by 6,000 vehicles to 28,000 in the year that starts April 1.

"The company is also aiming to leapfrog competitors in the Gulf Cooperation Council and Egypt by 2022 by increasing its market share to more than 20 percent by 2022, from 16 percent and 15 percent," Peyman said.

It is worthy to note that the GCC is home to six oil-rich countries including Saudi Arabia.