Nissan Motor Co. plans to build a new model of pickup at its South African plant starting in 2018 and will increase production from the facility as the carmaker seeks to capitalize on growing demand for new vehicles on the continent.
Nissan sees output from its factory in Rosslyn, north of Pretoria, rising to as many as 80,000 vehicles a year as the new model comes online, compared with about 40,000 now, Nissan South Africa Managing Director Mike Whitfield said in an interview on Monday at Bloomberg's Johannesburg office. The company is in talks with suppliers about the additional model, and will probably announce details of the plans in early 2016, he said.
"Like any investment decision there are a number of key milestones, but we are moving forward," Whitfield said. "It would be a new product with a lot more potential in Africa."