Nissan launches Pathfinder in Russia

Nissan has launched the Pathfinder range in Russia; it includes the first Russian manufactured petrol-electric hybrid. Next year, Nissan will add Qashqai to its Russian production line-up.

Pathfinder debuts alongside the new Russian-built Sentra sedan, reaffirming Nissan's commitment to bringing to market built in Russia, with Russian consumers in mind.

Also making their Russia debuts are the new Nissan Juke and new Nissan GT-R NISMO.

Nissan claims a 6.5 per cent market share in 2014. Russia is Nissan's fifth-largest global market, where Nissan is the fifth-largest brand in the market - risinging from eighth place last year.

Russia also is the only market in the world where Nissan Motor Company sells all three of its brands - Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun. It also has strong collaboration with Alliance partners Renault and AvtoVAZ through joint manufacturing initiatives.

Nissan, with Datsun, aims to reach 10 per cent market share by the end of the next three years, with 90 per cent of vehicles sold in Russia also built in Russia.

Pathfinder production is being added to Nissan's manufacturing operations at St. Petersburg, the addition of which will contribute to Nissan's doubling of production there, to 100,000 units annually.

Nissan's fourth-generation Pathfinder will be available with a standard 3.5-litre petrol engine as well as a 2.5-litre hybrid engine. Equipped with an intelligent 4x4 system and the latest generation X-tronic transmission, the Pathfinder will have all-road capabilities in any condition in an all-new refined and modernized design.

Production of Pathfinder's hybrid engine variant will make the St. Petersburg plant Russia's first to produce a hybrid. The plant currently builds the Teana, Murano and X-Trail.

Sentra is the result of collaboration with Alliance partner AvtoVAZ, the country's largest automaker. It will be built at the AvtoVAZ plant in Izhevsk.

The new C-segment sedan will be available with a 1.6-litre gasoline engine, which can be equipped with two transmissions – five-speed manual or X-tronic. The new Sentra has been designed using high quality materials, high ground clearance and a soft suspension making it ideal for all Russian road conditions.

Nissan also produces vehicles at the AvtoVAZ plant in Togliatti – already producing the Nissan Almera and Datsun On-do. By the beginning of next year, two Datsun vehicles – including the Datsun Mi-do and three Nissan models will be in production at AvtoVAZ facilities.

Since entering Russia in 2004, Nissan has sold more than one million vehicles across the country. In calendar year 2013 Nissan sold 146,319 cars in Russia and achieved 5.3 per cent market share. The Nissan plant in St. Petersburg produced 47,000 cars (X-Trail, Teana, Murano) in the same year.

In 2014 the third brand of the company – Datsun – (along with Nissan and Infiniti) launched in Russia.