By River Davis


TOKYO -- Nissan will release four models including full electric vehicles and its first-ever plug-in hybrid vehicle in China by 2026.

The first of the new models will launch in the second half of 2024, the company said Thursday.

Nissan will also begin exporting from China around 100,000 Nissan-branded vehicles from 2025.

Japan's top car companies including Nissan have been losing long-held ground in China to local brands that lead in the fast-growing market for EVs. During the first half of its fiscal year--the period from April to September--Nissan's retail sales in China fell 20% from a year earlier.

"The Chinese market continues to be a pressing challenge for us," Chief Executive Makoto Uchida said in a briefing Thursday. "These key initiatives are crucial to making a breakthrough," Uchida said.


Write to River Davis at river.davis@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

11-09-23 0353ET