By Nqobile Dludla
MAGALIESBERG, South Africa, July 10 (Reuters) - Nissan Motor 7201.T is still committed to growing in Africa, with plans to introduce new SUVs and new variants of existing models, its Africa president said on Thursday, even as speculation swirls around the future of its South African plant.
New chief executive Ivan Espinosa unveiled sweeping cost cuts in May that included plans to shed 15% of the global workforce and close seven factories worldwide. Battered by declining sales in the United States and China, Nissan faces a mountain of debt repayment and is scrambling to upgrade its ageing vehicle line-up.
In May, sources told Reuters that one of the closures being considered was the Rosslyn plant in South Africa, where Nissan assembles its Navara pickup trucks.
Asked about the future of the 59-year-old plant, Nissan Africa President Jordi Vila said: "We're committed to grow in Africa and in South Africa, just to be more precise."
"The plant is probably still under study, but there's no statement I can do today," Vila told reporters at the launch of Nissan's Navara Stealth pickup truck.
The plan for South Africa includes introducing the Patrol SUV along with two new SUV models next year. This year, Nissan launched a commercial panel-van variant of its Magnite compact SUV to attract business clients, replacing its half-ton NP200 pickup.
On Thursday, it launched a new variant of its popular Navara pickup truck, called the Stealth, valued from 695,200 rand ($39,200). The 4x4 is aimed at the mid-price range, where Nissan is seeing high demand.
Nissan's Navara models compete with Toyota's 7203.T Hilux, a top-selling pickup in South Africa, Ford's F.N Ranger, and Isuzu's 7202.T D-Max range.
South Africa has a huge market for pickup trucks, with farmers needing off-road reliability, small business owners looking for capable load-luggers and urbanites who love big cars. ($1 = 17.7328 rand)
(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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