Nissan Motor Co. plans to invest about $900 million (6.17 billion yuan) to boost car and light-truck production in China 40 percent by 2021 as part of a 60-billion-yuan strategy to become a top three player in the world’s largest auto market. Nissan and its Chinese joint-venture partner, Dongfeng Group, plan to invest roughly $900 million to expand manufacturing capacity over the next few years, according to a person close to the plan. The expansion would boost Nissan's vehicle production capacity in China to as many as 2.1 million vehicles a year. The investments are part of a previously disclosed multi-year plan to expand Nissan's sales in China. China's light-vehicle market has been dominated by General Motors and Volkswagen AG for nearly two decades, with each selling 4 million cars and light vehicles last year.
Sales of new light vehicles in China decreased 5.3 percent to about 1,589,500 in July as demand for crossovers and SUVs remained weaker for a second straight month. It was the second month this year that China’s new light-vehicle market posted lower sales -- following February, a month with fewer working days than a year earlier due to the Chinese New Year Holiday, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. After rising non-stop for several years, sales of crossovers and SUVs tapered off in June, sliding 0.5 percent from a year earlier. The decline in the segment’s sales accelerated in July: crossover and SUV deliveries dropped 8.2 percent to roughly 632,700 last month. Sedan sales edged down 1.3 percent to approximately 814,600 while multi-purpose vehicle deliveries plunged 22 percent to around 106,600. The minibus segment staged a strong rebound, with sales up 30 percent from a year earlier, but the volume was tiny – only about 35,600 minibuses were sold last month. Through July, China’s new light vehicle deliveries have risen 3.4 percent to roughly