Nissan Motor Co. (TSE:7201) said Friday that it plans to start selling the all-new Murano sportS utility vehicle in the U.S. in January 2008, with the Japanese launch following within that year.
The SUV is to be manufactured at Nissan’s Kyushu factory in Kanda, Fukuoka Prefecture. Production is to kick off at 6,000 to 7,000 units a month, with the scale expected to be lifted to 10,000 units once domestic sales begin.
The new Murano will feature a 3.5-liter engine and a CVT (continuously variable transmission) system. A total of 500,000 Muranos have been sold in 130 countries since the model’s 2002 release.
At a ceremony to mark the launch of production, Nissan President Carlos Ghosn said car sales in the U.S. will likely come to 15-16 million units for 2008, compared with the 16 million projected for 2007. He also expressed his confidence in Nissan’s performance there next year, saying the firm is ready to compete in the tough market environment.
