Ren Yong, deputy general manager of Dongfeng Nissan, says local production of the VQ engine in China has been decided and will start within this year.

 

"Preparations [for the local production] are underway," Ren said in a seminar in Guangzhou's Huadu District last week.   

 

Nissan's VQ engine is widely considered one of the best V-6 engines in the world for its smoothness and high power output. Teana sedans built by Dongfeng Nissan are available with 2.5- and 3.5-liter VQ engine versions. These engines are currently all imported from Japan. 

 

Ren says the first batch of VQ engines to be built by Dongfeng Nissan will be 2.5 liters in capacity. He did not give further details about planned production. 

 

Industry sources told Automotive News China in late 2007 that Nissan was planning to build the best engines in China, although Nissan declined to confirm this.  

 

Production was originally scheduled to start in July 2008, but was postponed to 2009 for unknown reasons, according to a source from Dongfeng Nissan.

 

The source says output of the VQ engines will depend on the sales of the Teana. Dongfeng Nissan sold 8000 to 9000 Teanas each month in the past several months.  

 

Dongfeng Nissan is a joint venture of Nissan and Dongfeng Motor Group. The company produces seven Nissan models in its Guangzhou and Xiangfan plants. Among them, only the Teana carries imported engines.  

 

Dongfeng Nissan's engine plant started production in 2006. The plant now produces three engines; the 1.6-liter HR engine as well as the 1.8- and 2.0-liter MR engines, according to Nissan China. 

 

Meanwhile, Ren also confirms Dongfeng Nissan will produce its March small car model. The new model may hit the market next year.