Nissan doubles down on South Africa despite plant uncertainty - Jordi Vila — Nissan Africa president Jordi Vila. Image: Nqobile Dludla/Reuters

Nissan is still committed to growing in Africa, with plans to introduce new SUVs and new variants of existing models, its Africa president said on Thursday, even as speculation swirls around the future of its South African plant.

New CEO Ivan Espinosa unveiled sweeping cost cuts in May that included plans to shed 15% of the global workforce and close seven factories worldwide. Battered by declining sales in the US and China, Nissan faces a mountain of debt repayment and is scrambling to upgrade its ageing vehicle line-up.

In May, sources told Reuters that one of the closures being considered was the Rosslyn plant in South Africa, where Nissan assembles its Navara bakkies.

Asked about the future of the 59-year-old plant, Nissan Africa president Jordi Vila said: “We’re committed to grow in Africa and in South Africa, just to be more precise. The plant is probably still under study, but there’s no statement I can do today,” Vila told reporters at the launch of Nissan’s Navara Stealth bakkie.

The plan for South Africa includes introducing the Patrol SUV along with two new SUV models next year. This year, Nissan launched a commercial panel-van variant of its Magnite compact SUV to attract business clients, replacing its half-ton NP200 pickup.

Stealth

On Thursday, it launched a new variant of its popular Navara pickup truck, called the Stealth, priced from R695 200. The 4×4 is aimed at the mid-price range, where Nissan is seeing high demand.

Nissan’s Navara models compete with Toyota’s Hilux, a top-selling bakkie in South Africa, Ford’s Ranger, and Isuzu’s D-Max range.