Nissan to double German sales with two new models

BERLIN: The Franco-Japanese auto group Renault-Nissan aims to double its share of German sales by 2012 with the launch of two new models, a press report said on Monday.

Nissan hopes that the creation of an additional 120 dealerships will allow it to raise its market share from 1.5 percent to 3.0 percent, the business daily Handelsblatt said, quoting a source close to group chief Carlos Ghosn.

Ghosn "is not happy with Nissan's performance in Europe" and plans to go on the offensive, the source was quoted as saying.

The Japanese auto maker would introduce two new models in Europe, a compact vehicle and a low-cost car built in India and sold for around 8,000 euros (11,800 dollars), the newspaper quoted sources close to the company as saying.

Nissan would target sales of 10,000 of each of the vehicles per year in Germany, the largest European market.