Nissan touts ‘pioneer’ status with new electric vehicle targets

YOKOHAMA (AFP): Nissan this week unveiled plans for electric and hybrid vehicles to make up half its global sales by 2030, with a top executive insisting the firm’s “pioneer” status would help it capture market share.

Speaking to AFP, Nissan number two Ashwani Gupta insisted the firm’s electric vehicle (EV) targets were “progressive” and said he welcomed “healthy competition” from all-electric rivals like much-hyped Tesla.

“In 2010, when we talked about electric batteries, we were the only ones, and thanks to all these playersm the awareness has improved. That’s helping us,” he told AFP after the firm unveiled its new Ambition 2030 long-term plan.

“We are very happy to have these players who are creating the EV awareness. Healthy competition is always good.” 

Last year, just 10% of Nissan’s global sales were EVs or hybrids, and it said, on Monday, it plans 23 new models, including 15 new electric vehicles, in a bid to reach the 2030 goal.

It said it will invest two trillion yen ($ 17.5 billion) over the next five years to speed up electrification, compared to spending one trillion between 2010-2020, aiming to launch electric vehicles with its proprietary batteries in seven years.

Across the auto industry, firms are boosting electric vehicles, with Sweden’s Volvo pledging to switch all sales away from traditional fuel cars by 2030, and Japan’s Honda setting the same target by 2040.