Nissan’s NV400 is built on the same platform as Renault’s Master and will replace the Interstar when it hits the UK’s roads in late 2011.
Designed at Nissan Design Europe, the manufacturer said the NV400 carries the brand’s muscular DNA apparent on models such as its latest Navara pick-up.
“It will be a step forward from the Interstar in terms of load space and size,” said Nissan UK’s commercial vehicle sales and marketing director, Francis Bleasdale, who also claimed the NV400 panel van would appeal to users requiring a high payload and large load volume without compromising on ergonomics.
Nissan will announce prices, engines and model details for the NV400 in January 2011.
Nissan also announced some ambitious growth targets in Hanover. The brand said it would sell 700,000 vans across the globe this year and hit the one million mark in 2013.
The product overhaul that started with the company’s NV200 in March will see three new vans launched annually over the next three years, including a zero-emission electric model in 2013, as the brand targets the emerging markets in China and India and seeks to establish a meaningful presence in North America.
In the UK Nissan aims to take its market share from 3.5% to beyond 5% by 2013. The Navara already commands 21% of the pick-up sector and the brand’s 60 Nissan Business Specialist outlets and five standalone light commercial vehicle dealerships will drive further growth.