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Nissan announced last week that its presentation at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show will include a compact car with the V-Platform drive system. This drive system is slated for implementation in two Nissan models over the next three years in China, India and Thailand. The V-Platform by Nissan features a three cylinder, 1.0-liter engine paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). This compact car along with future V-Platform models will reduce the automaker’s overall emissions level while increasing fuel mileage dramatically.
The V-Platform was created by Nissan to remedy its lack of compact car models, accommodate consumer needs and show potential uses for its fuel-efficient drive system in future models. Nissan is focused on local production of V-Platform vehicles along with increasing cost efficiencies to lower barriers to vehicle adoptions among consumers in developing economies. Nissan models using the V-Platform will be produced in China, India and Thailand with future production facilities possible in North America. The automaker indicates that up to 90% of parts used in V-Platform vehicles will be built or purchased within local markets. Nissan’s Global Production Engineering Center worked with designers and plant managers in these three countries to ensure that the V-Platform is built the same from market to market.
In addition to locally sourced production, Nissan’s V-Platform features more efficient vehicle designs than the competition. Nissan states that the V-Platform compact car uses 18% fewer parts than competing models, which translates into lower overhead costs. The compact car presented in Geneva next March will share 82% of its parts with future V-Platform models. The hope for Nissan is that the dual forces of fewer parts and parts sharing between models will lead to lower costs for consumers.
Nissan plans to produce 200,000 to 300,000 units per year after initial implementation in Thailand in spring 2010. The automaker anticipates production of V-Platform models in excess of one million units per year by the time of full implementation. The compact car slated for the 2010 Geneva Motor Show allows Nissan to succeed in growing regional markets while looking to the future. Since compact cars represent 20% of new auto sales worldwide, Nissan is looking to capitalize on its fuel-efficient V-Platform in the present. The V-Platform’s focus on fewer parts, lighter bodies and efficient engines will evolve as Nissan develops hybrid and all-electric drive systems in the future.
