Nissan Motors plans to open a small design studio in Moscow where the car manufacturer will develop products for the local and global markets, senior vice president and creative director Shiro Nakamura said.
Nakamura did not specify an opening date but said that a location has been chosen, Vedomosti reported Friday.
The decision was motivated by the high potential of the market, the availability of Russian specialists and plans to localize operations and adapt models to local conditions, a company spokesman said, adding that the Russian market is seen as a high priority.
Nissan said it intends to increase sales in Russia to 480,000 vehicles per year in 2016 for a market share of 10 percent, with more than 80 percent of the cars sold to be produced locally.