2014 Beijing Auto Show in China saw the debut of an all-new Nissan concept sedan in form of the Lannia Concept. The car has been designed locally in China for the “Post-80s” generation, and now it seems Nissan is toying with the idea of building it locally as a China-only model.
In an interview following the debut of Nissan Lannia, Andy Palmer, the firm’s Chief Planning Officer emphasized the role of homegrown talent in developing this car, and Nissan’s plans to use these talents to better serve the world’s biggest auto market.
“You can see that the car itself is much closer to a production type vehicle,” said Palmer. “So whilst we haven’t confirmed yet that this will definitely go into production, I think it’s definitely fair to say that we have every intention that this goes to market.”
Palmer is backed up by Nissan China chief Jun Seki, who believes increased localization and a wider array of products in China will help the company meet ambitious growth plans. They call it entering “the next phase” in China; a phase for locally designed and built cars like the Lannia.
Nissan Lannia Concept is designed to appeal to the “balinghou” generation, which covers a population of 240 million Chinese in their mid-20s to 30s. They are typically digitally savvy and very well-informed, and unlike their fathers, they won’t settle for what passes these days as a “Chinese” car. They want style and technology. And that’s what Nissan hopes to deliver with the Lannia.