On December 9, the production of the new Nissan X-Trail started at the Nissan plant in St. Petersburg. However, this model can only be called new conditionally: its debut took place in 2013 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and mass sales began in July of this year. In Russia, they initially relied on the localization of this model, so they did not export the new X-Trail.
The first two months in St. Petersburg will be what is called “gaining volume”, and when there are enough collected X-Trails and they appear at all Russian dealers, the official sale will begin. This should happen in February 2015.
The launch ceremony was formal and modest. They were waiting for the governor Georgy Poltavchenko, but he did not come. Maxim Meiksin, chairman of the Committee on Industrial Policy and Innovations of St. Petersburg, puffed out instead of him, saying just a couple of on-duty words. The head of Nissan in Europe, Paul Willcox, was also not very informative, as was Philippe Saillard, CEO of Nissan Manufacturing Rus.
Philippe Saillard, CEO of Nissan Manufacturing Rus
They only reported that the St. Petersburg plant opened a “second stage” for X-Trail: if earlier its capacity was 50,000 cars a year, now it has increased to 100,000. An additional 71 thousand square meters of production space cost the Japanese company 167 million euros. The staff of workers expanded from 1900 to 2266 people.
But about the car itself, the Nissans preferred not to talk persistently: neither prices, nor trim levels, nor the estimated volume of production - nothing. It's still early, I guess. They can be understood: by February the situation on the market will be completely different, it is generally unclear what cars will be in demand. You announce the price list now, and the euro exchange rate will fly to Mars tomorrow. And what, apologize?
Therefore, the only topic that the Nissan people spoke about willingly was localization. By 2016, 90% of cars sold by Nissan in Russia will be produced in the country, if we take into account the sites in Izhevsk, Togliatti and Moscow.
Plant director Dmitry Mikhailov never tired of repeating: localization is the only way to remain competitive and Nissan (like the entire Alliance) will consistently become more and more Russian. The plant has a lot to strive for: if the production of stamping and even engines has already been established in Tolyatti and Izhevsk, then in St. Petersburg the percentage of domestic production is only 39%. And then it will not be easy: in St. Petersburg they make models that are quite expensive and small-circulation. Taking into account the fact that next year the new Qashqai will be put on the conveyor, it will turn out that one model will be produced on average 20,000 per year, and this is subject to full load. It is rather difficult to attract local suppliers for such volumes.
Dmitry Mikhailov, General Director of the Nissan plant in St. Petersburg
Let's see how Nissans are made for the Russian market.
In the warehouse of components, special carts with components of a particular car are formed.
Power units are hung on a monorail conveyor for additional assembly, then some attachments are fitted.
The first workshop is a body shop. It begins with a rolling section, where robots roll hinged body elements - doors, hood and trunk lids.
Then, on the conductors, the floor panels, motor shield and sidewalls are manually welded.
Then attachments are attached to the body.
And he goes through the finishing of the surface.
Some bodies are "pulled" off the line to a special laboratory, where three-dimensional geometry measurements are carried out using 1500 points. Tolerance - 1 mm. It is possible to check two bodies in a shift - this is not a quick matter.
The new body shop, built as part of the plant expansion, is "sharpened" directly under the X-Trail, and, in the future, the Qashqai. Here everything takes place exactly according to the same technology as in the old workshop: rolling, welding, welding, assembly. Finishing welding is carried out by 12 robots.
Eleven new stations weld 13 types of subassemblies using seven robots. Welding conductors between posts move on self-propelled carts. What can not be said about the finished bodies: they have to be pushed manually.
Assembled bodies undergo visual inspection and fine-tuning.
After that, the carts are manually rolled into the dressing room of the painting shop.
Here is the last cosmetic step: cleaning the interior with a vacuum cleaner and erasing the remnants of stamping oil from the surfaces.
The noted shortcomings will be eliminated later.
The idle public is not allowed into the “painting room”. Nissanovtsy got out gracefully - they put a projector on which they showed a small movie about the paint shop. Nothing special, everything is more or less standard.
The process begins with surface preparation, which includes 11 successive baths with different solutions. The metal is cleaned, degreased, gets a protective phosphate coating.
Then - cataphoretic priming at a voltage of 330 volts and drying at 180 degrees.
With the expansion of the plant, a second line of preparation and priming was installed here, now their total throughput is 40 bodies per hour.
After drying, large joints are sealed, anti-noise mastic and anti-gravel are applied to certain areas.
Then - another drying and final polishing.
The painting complex was also recently modernized: instead of solvent-based materials, they switched to water-soluble paints. Such enamels are more difficult to store and apply, but more environmentally friendly. Plus, it became possible to refuse intermediate drying of the secondary soil layer.
Eight robots of the new painting complex make it possible to paint 20 cars per hour. The painted and varnished body is dried in an oven at a temperature of 140 degrees. Then it is again inspected and polished.
Here is the color scheme of St. Petersburg Nissans today.
A dazzlingly beautiful red-haired girl Alena works in the painting shop, with whom I immediately began to get acquainted. And met! But I won’t show the photo, because it’s not a fig.
The bodies brought to the required condition are covered with wax in hidden cavities and sent to the drive. Bumpers are painted separately.
By the way, about the bumpers. They are made right here, at the plant, in the new (launched at the beginning of the year) "plastic" workshop.
Soon they will also make thresholds for Teana. The shop employs 10 people, but next year there will be a second shift (10 more).
Here are two large injection molding machines:
Warehouse of interchangeable molds:
And the device for preparing the mass from the granulate:
First, the bumpers are cast under pressure, then holes are cut out with a laser for headlight washers and parking sensors. Finished bumpers are sent immediately for painting.
In the same workshop, parts for the instrument panel are cast by the supplier Calsonic Kansei. All plastic scraps and parts that have not passed the quality test are crushed and the granulate is reused. You can do the same with polypropylene.
The assembly shop is a combination of overhead and trolley conveyors.
Here they are very careful about the safety of the paintwork, in most areas the body simply sinks into the protective lining.
Somewhere here are robots for pasting glass, but we were not shown them.
In parallel with the assembly of the cabin, various modules are assembled, first of all, the instrument panel, which here is called the "instrument panel".
The “torpedo” leaves the workshop on an automatic shaitan cart.
And gets in line for installation.
Then - the section of the chassis. Wheels are being prepared nearby, both main and spare.
Now the installation of the power unit, gas tank, exhaust system and suspensions. The wheels are fixed by laying them in the grooves of special pantographs, which saves labor.
Now you can put the seats.
And, as a finale, the doors removed before assembly and assembled separately.
Hybrid Pathfinders are assembled in a separate area, this is due to the specifics of the installation of electrical components.
That's it, the assembly line ends here and quality controllers come to work.
After visual inspection...
…cars enter the wheel alignment stand, where the headlights are adjusted at the same time.
Then - a dynamic test on a roller stand.
The car is "accelerated" to 120 km / h and slowed down. The throttle response and uniformity of the brake mechanisms are evaluated.
Now, through the section for checking the engine compartment, the cars go to assess the tightness, to the shower chamber (there are two of them at the factory). Long-term "irrigation" is selectively performed.
Along the way, the suspension shakes.
In the final - driving along the factory paths and a storage area.
It is curious that commercial vehicles leave the factory with disc protection film. A trifle - and the dealer has less trouble during pre-sale preparation.
Nissan X-Trail is equipped with Dunlop tires, but they put Yokohama as a spare tire, it is cheaper.
In general, the build quality of the X-Trail is very high.
Here is today's production line:
The Nissan plant in St. Petersburg is an extremely rational enterprise. It does not impress with the amount of robotics (there are many more robots on the welding line of VAZ Kalina), but it has the highest efficiency (which cannot be said about the same VAZ). Three times this plant was recognized as the best in terms of product quality among all the company's plants scattered around the world, from Japan to Mexico. This compact, simple, unpretentious factory.
They know how.
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According to the AEB Committee of Automobile Manufacturers (the Association of European Businesses), in 2013 Nissan Motor Co. Ltd topped the list of companies whose cars are best sold in our country. Let's talk about the sales leader, about the company, and most importantly, what can the manufacturing country say about the quality?
A Nissan made in Russia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, South Africa... What is it like? By the way, this is not the whole list of countries where the company's assembly shops are currently located. In total, about 20 countries sheltered engineering workshops, design and research centers, and production facilities on their territories. Although for us, ordinary people, this manufacturer is associated exclusively with the country of the "rising sun" - Japan. Despite the fact that many people know for certain that the organization is working far beyond the borders of a small island state. Everyone clearly understands that the "roots" (more precisely, the mentality of employees) are still Japanese.
Japan - "beginning of the sun"
This country (manufacturer Nissan) is associated by consumers exclusively with high quality products. It makes no difference what it is about: knives, china, household appliances or cars. The Japanese mentality is not only sentimentality and worship of traditions, it is first of all honor and decency, friendliness and a fanatical desire for novelty. And this is not all the distinctive features of the average inhabitant of the land of the rising sun. At the gene level, they have industriousness and a desire for development. Isn't this the same engine of progress? Maybe that is why the country is developing so rapidly?
Manufacturer "Nissan"
This is a huge team, consisting of about 224,000 employees working around the world. The scope of the company's activities includes such areas as shipbuilding and rocketry (in particular, the company's engineers develop engines). Work is underway in the field of telecommunications and finance. Machine tools for textile production are being developed.
Flagship Programs
In 1999, two powerful concerns merged: Renault and Nissan. This event had a positive impact on the economic growth of the company as a whole, allowing it to lead the ratings for more than one year. Moreover, success was ensured thanks to competently, and most importantly, timely introduced programs. In particular, thanks to the Nissan Revival Plan, the corporation was brought out of the crisis.
NPW
The Nissan Production Way (NPW) program is the backbone of all productions. The Code of Practice is binding on employees worldwide. A prescribed set of instructions and recommendations allows you to perfect the process of creating any of the concern's cars. With NPW, Nissan connects the power of materials, equipment, and people to deliver what consumers want to pay for.
Proper use of the program allows you to provide and study the needs of customers. Moreover, such symbiosis and efficient use of financial resources provide opportunities to expand production. It is the Nissan Production Way program, which has been so successfully implemented, that makes it possible to speak about the quality of products equally well, regardless of which country the manufacturer of Nissan is indicated in the vehicle documents. You can be one hundred percent sure that the car will be perfectly assembled both at a factory in Mexico or Russia, and on an assembly line in Japan.
Structure
Headquarters of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd is located in Yokohama (Japan) and its design department is in London (England). The research center in Cranfield (England) leads the development and implementation of the new generation of Nissan vehicles. It is in England that one of the largest assembly shops of the corporation is located. The port city of Sunderland is not convenient for cheap labor, by no means. It is from here that it is convenient to supply finished products to customers located in Europe and North America.
VIN code
It is easy to recognize the place of assembly by the first character of the vehicle's VIN code. A single letter will tell us what the country of origin is. Nissan Qashqai, Micra, Note are assembled in the United Kingdom. In vehicle identification documents, this is indicated by the first letter of the code - S.
Nissan Navara and Pathfinder are assembled in Spain, and the symbol V indicates this in the documents.
The country of origin of Nissan X-Trail (X-Trail), Teana (Teana), Murano (Murano), Patrol (Patrol) is Japan, these models have the first character in the VIN code - J .
A line for the assembly of "Tean", "X-Trails" and "Muran" was opened at the St. Petersburg plant. And at AvtoVAZ, the assembly of Almer began.
According to the statistics of Russian analytical agencies, Nissan cars are among the most popular and beloved in the domestic market. And, most importantly, the Russian sales market is also the largest for the manufacturer of these vehicles.
Russia confidently enters the top three countries, among all sales in the world market of the automaker. And, naturally, our citizens are interested in the question - where is Nissan assembled for Russia and how high quality this or that equipment is.
Among the models loved by our motorists, it is worth highlighting: Qashqai, Almera, Note, Murano, X-T rail, Teana, Navara, Juke, GT-R, etc.
In addition to passenger cars, Nissan also produces commercial models that are in no less demand. In the domestic market, Cabstar and HP-300 have proven themselves well.
Some of the above models are assembled in Russia. But the share of cars made in our country does not exceed 30%. Basically, the cars are delivered from abroad.
General information on Nissan cars
Before buying a new car of this brand, almost any person asks a fair question: “Where is Nissan produced for Russia?”
But indeed, buying a car for our consumer is a very significant step that requires careful preparation and collection of all information. First of all, you should know that there are only 8 factories manufacturing Nissan equipment around the world, and 2 of them are located in Russia. But first things first.
Nissan importing plants for Russia:
The main production located in Japan.
Samsung plant, South Korea.
Nissan factory, Spain.
A factory located in the UK, more precisely in the city of Sunderland.
In addition to these 4 industries, there are no other factories supplying products to the domestic market!
Nissan production in Russia
Since 2009, Nissan has been assembled for motorists in Russia in their native land. It was in this year that a plant was opened, located near St. Petersburg, with the characteristic name "Nissan Manufacturing Rus". It organizes the assembly of such models as: Teana, Murano and X-Trail.
List of enterprises producing Nissan cars in Russia:
Nissan Manufacturing Rus, St. Petersburg;
Concern "AvtoVAZ", Togliatti.
At the Volga Automobile Plant, the Renault-Nissan alliance is one of the main shareholders.
Together with Rostec and Renault, the Japanese manufacturer defines the development concept, appoints top managers and distributes profits, if any.
Well, now let's try to understand exactly where specific Nissan models are produced for the Russian market, where the cars come from to dealers and car dealerships.
In total, in the domestic market in 2016, 12 models of the manufacturer were officially presented. The lineup includes urban subcompact cars, classic state employees, serious crossovers and even a sports coupe.
Almera
This car brand belongs to budget models.
The start of production dates back to 1995 and continues to this day. "Almera" is especially fond of our citizens, primarily for its accessibility, ease of operation and stylish design.
Since 2012, the car has been assembled in the city of Togliatti at AvtoVAZ, which did not benefit it.
In the version of the domestic assembly, "Almera" lost a number of parts that so favorably distinguished it on the market among other cars. At one time, this caused extreme indignation among buyers.
In addition, Almera was produced until 2013 in South Korea, and many Nissan customers preferred the model only in this assembly.
Qashqai
And Qashqai is an unconditional participant in the sales ratings of all crossovers sold in Russia and always occupies the top lines.
Since 2007, more than 2 million units of this model have been sold in our country. The manufacturer is closely monitoring that the trend for high sales continues and therefore constantly stirs up interest in the car.
Every few years, the Qashqai undergoes a “tuning” or even changes a generation. Sometimes the changes seem imperceptible, and sometimes they change the car a lot. However, car market experts note that with each new version, the car becomes:
larger (overall dimensions become slightly wider and longer)
more comfortable
more practical
Nissan Qashqai is produced only in the UK, and only in the version with a gasoline engine.
Therefore, the domestic motorist does not have to choose much. On the one hand, this is good - the British assembly is quite high quality. On the other hand, the localization of production could lead to a reduction in cost.
Juke
Initially, the "Beetle" was aimed at advanced youth who want to stand out from the crowd, due to unusual design and engineering.
But, in Russia, this model has become popular and best-selling among women.
Oh yes, this is probably a favorite model, a rather unusual design and expressive power of the car wins the hearts of girls leading an active lifestyle more and more.
A quick glance at the Juke is enough to tell you that this model is not suitable for country roads and steep slopes.
Despite the all-wheel drive body and the high position of the driver, the car is designed for city driving.
Juke is not going to Russia - you can buy it only Japanese or British production.
Micra
The Micra car, of course, is not for everyone. In Russia, the model is not in great demand.
However, at the same time, it is the absolute record holder among Nissan cars in terms of sales worldwide, since it refers to European compact class.
Small, compact and incredibly economical, the machine is made in the UK and Japan. Just like the previous model, this machine is very popular with the female. In Japan, this car is known as the Nissan March.
The design of the car was developed by Japan, and the interior of the European design studio.
note
From the very appearance of the model on the domestic automobile market, the car has established itself as a family car, and has taken its niche among buyers. This machine has been produced since 2004.
If you believe the reviews on the Internet - this car is quite easy to use and, surprisingly, very spacious.
Since 2006, Note has been constantly improved and supplemented with new technological details. Made in the UK, so you don't really have to choose.
And yes, it is also very popular with our beloved women!
X-Trail
Xtrail is one of the first models of the Japanese concern.
But even now, the vehicle has not lost its relevance, because it is constantly being restyled and updated generations.
The large 4x4 SUV is known all over the world. It is also very popular in Russia. Therefore, the interest of drivers in the question of where the Nissan X-Trail is assembled for the Russian market is understandable.
The model is considered family and is in great demand in the domestic market. With each new modification, Xtrail undergoes “tuning”: they add a more powerful engine, improve the appearance, increase comfort and safety.
The car is assembled in Russia, at a factory in St. Petersburg.
However, those who are not afraid of used cars can look for a Nissan X-Trail made in Japan before 2009.
Navara
The only pickup truck of the Japanese auto giant is manufactured and supplied to the domestic vehicle market from Spain. In general, this car is considered a "sports" truck.
This machine has been produced for a long time, since 1997.
The model has different body types, so we recommend that you get to know each one separately.
According to reviews, this is a very comfortable and very roomy model, a great option for those who live in the countryside. Ideal for many types of cargo transportation.
Murano
The classic crossover comes from Japan or is assembled in Russia (at a factory in St. Petersburg). So the domestic consumer has a choice of which Murano to take.
The manufacturer assures that the car is in no way inferior to its competitor BMW X5, but it is much cheaper. Like it or not, everyone can evaluate independently.
A little bit of history - you probably do not know, but the car was named after the island of Murano, which is located in Italy. Judging by the reviews, the car is quite popular in Russia and, in addition to everything, it is considered "fashionable".
Patrol
The machine is a real "beast", specially designed to overcome difficult country roads.
The SUV perfectly copes with any difficult road conditions, it literally works for wear and tear.
After a major generational change that took place in 2004, the technique boasts not only cross-country ability and excellent technical characteristics, but also elegance of lines and internal comfort.
If before the car was a rough and functional SUV, now it is a good and high-quality car for everyone.
"Patrol" comes from Japan, where it is made for the entire world market.
Therefore, quality should be the last thing to worry about.
Pathfinder
A full-size crossover with a spacious interior has been produced since 1984, but continues to amaze with its high ratings and sales figures.
This is a car for those who are interested in a powerful and representative model for moving around the city and in light off-road conditions.
Until 2014, the vehicle came to dealers in Russia from Spain. But then the assembly was localized at a plant in St. Petersburg. So far, there are no special differences, and our fellow citizens are happy to buy a domestically assembled Pathfinder.
Teana
Tiana - refers to the leaders in sales in the Russian market.
Popularity has been won since its appearance on the domestic market (2007) and continues to grow. Until the launch of the conveyor assembly in St. Petersburg, Tiana was produced and supplied from a Japanese enterprise.
All cars produced before 2009 are "pure" Japanese. For other countries, Tiana is made at factories in Japan and Thailand.
Submit a request for a test drive
The Japanese automobile company with a rich history and an excellent position in the market today continues to develop, cooperating with powerful global manufacturers. Concern Nissan has become one of the most powerful Japanese car manufacturers, offering customers cars in different classes and with different technical characteristics. Nissan also owns the Datsun brand, which became known to Russian motorists in 2014. A budget sedan of this brand appeared on the market, assembled at a factory in Togliatti.
Nissan does not seek to provide its customers with exclusively Japanese cars. This allows you to build assembly plants around the world and produce machines directly in those regions that need to be covered with products. This approach to production makes the company's machines cheaper for the end user and more profitable for the corporation itself.
The last years of the development of the Nissan Corporation
Of course, the plants of the Nissan Corporation are present on virtually every continent, but the Russian potential buyer is interested in precisely those productions that cars can offer on the Russian market. In this case, we are talking about four enterprises.
The most productive and technologically advanced plants for the production of Nissan cars are located in the Japanese city of Yokohama and the English Sunderland. It was from England that Nissan Qashqai was brought to us in the last generation. In Japan, they produce all the most expensive cars of the corporation, productive SUVs. There is also a Russian company that produces Nissan models according to the following principles:
- a full cycle of car assembly in compliance with the excellent factory quality of the car;
- constant expansion of the model range at the plant near St. Petersburg;
- introduction of advanced technologies for the productivity of the enterprise in Russia;
- continuous investment in plant renewal, in improving the quality of the assembly;
- increasing the number of cars produced and other principles of the work of a global corporation.
At the end of last year, the company in Russia experienced a series of lawsuits that effectively stopped car assembly work. But against the backdrop of a general decline in demand for primary transport, this seemed like a completely logical decision by the company's management.
If from the very beginning only budget models were assembled at the Nissan assembly plant in Russia, today cars such as Teana and X-Trail are being assembled. And in the near future, it is also planned to adjust the lines for assembling the new Qashqai. This will make the cost of cars for the Russian market optimal.
Nissan cooperation with other global companies
The company began international cooperation in the middle of the last century, when it brought Volkswagen Corporation to Japan. By sacrificing some of its capacity, Nissan made huge profits from cooperation with the German automotive monster. The companies maintain partnerships to this day.
Since the 1970s, the recession of the Nissan enterprise has begun, which leads to a decline in production, a significant decrease in the quality of car manufacturing. The corporation finds a solution to the problem in cooperation with the successful concern Renault, which currently owns more than 40% of the shares. The steps Renault took to save Nissan were as follows:
- a European with a clear understanding of crisis management was put at the head of the company;
- astronomical sums of money were poured into the promotion and improvement of the quality of production;
- a constant renewal of the technical arsenal of production workshops began;
- the company began to attract Japanese technical geniuses, to intercept personnel from other enterprises;
- the main bet was made on the export of cars, which works to this day.
In the domestic market, Nissan is quite difficult to advance due to the presence of incredibly strong competitors. And in other countries, by reducing the cost and increasing the functionality of their cars, the company promotes all the proposals of the model line. In today's conditions, Nissan is one of the most promising concerns in Japan.
Nevertheless, competitors constantly overtake the corporation and force it to move forward. In Russia, the cars of the Japanese corporation have become more popular in the secondary market, because new cars are actively growing in price, which buyers do not like. But the popularity of the company still remained quite high, thanks to non-standard solutions of the model line.
The main accents of the model range of the Nissan Corporation
The company's offer includes budget models such as Almera or Sentra. These are quite decent cars that are sold in large quantities and do not serve to raise the image of the corporation. They are very simple, have only the necessary technologies in the configurations and offer the most necessary security systems and nothing more. But their affordable price attracts a buyer in the economy segment.
The company's offer also includes premium vehicles, which are represented, for example, by the Teana executive sedan and the large Murano crossover. This allows the company to count on the favor of customers in different price categories. Crossovers are represented by the budget Terrano and the traditional passable X-trail, but the following representatives of the model line attract the most active attention:
- Juke is a compact SUV with an incredibly bold design, which has become a successful experiment of the company;
- The Qashqai is one of the most popular compact crossovers at a great price point;
- Pathfinder is a real SUV with good technical characteristics and a comfortable interior;
- Patrol - the legendary SUV that was revived a few years ago and gained the highest popularity;
The GT-R is a sports coupe offering an incredible engine, high power and great design;
Navarra is one of the largest off-road pickups in its class with functional technology.
As you can see, the company's model range is quite wide, which allows the brand to advance in different segments. Most corporation cars delight their customers with high technology and a fairly high-quality interior, excellent materials and their successful layout. The machines are as modern as possible and meet the most sophisticated requirements of the buyer.
Of course, not all Nissan offers are well received by customers. Among the proposals of the corporation there are cars that did not justify their hopes. For example, the budget Almera sedan was supposed to become one of the most popular in its class after the update in 2012, but it could not overcome strong competition from European sedans.
We offer you to see a test drive of the new Nissan Sentra with all its pluses and minuses:
Summing up
The Japanese corporation Nissan has an interesting history and offers customers great cars. Almost all models that came out from under the wing of this company can be called thoroughbred and unusual. Among the most notable common characteristics of the latest models of the manufacturer are excellent shapes, pleasant design, good materials and the highest ride comfort. Even if we are talking about simple budget cars.
The company does not chase the price of its cars, offering more affordable price tags than its main competitors. This is one of the main factors that makes many potential buyers take a serious look at the presented cars. How do you personally feel about the Nissan concern and its modern model line?
