Nissan Motor Co. expects sales growth for Nissan brand vehicles in China to slow to 4.6 percent this year, on a par with growth in the overall Chinese market.
Japan's third-largest automaker forecasts sales of 570,000 cars and light commercial vehicles, it said in a statement Thursday. Sales growth is expected to slow from last year, when sales surged 19 percent to 545,000 units, the company said.
Sales rose as Nissan introduced seven new models in China last year, including the Teana sedan and three Infiniti brand models. Still, Nissan expects its first loss in nine years as sales plunge in the United States, its biggest market, Europe and Japan.
Dongfeng Motor Co., Nissan's local partner in China, sold 708,000 cars and commercial vehicles last year, up 16 percent from 2007. Dongfeng has a sales target of 1 million vehicles in 2012.
China's vehicle sales may climb about 5 percent this year, the slowest pace since 1998, according to a forecast by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
In December, China's car sales fell 8 percent to 584,600 units, capping the slowest annual rise in at least nine years.