Source | Yuan Auto

In the third month following Xin Yu's return as the General Manager of Sales at Dongfeng Nissan, the operational prowess of this Sino-Japanese automotive joint venture has notably ascended to a new echelon.

Setting aside the all-new SUV NX8, which was initially marketed as a model in the 200,000-yuan price bracket but actually starts at 159,900 yuan, the new car launch event, masterfully orchestrated by Xin Yu and Wang Qian (General Manager of the New Energy Brand at Dongfeng Nissan Motor Sales Co., Ltd.), became a hot topic in the automotive industry on social media. The event, which swiftly moved from price announcements within 30 minutes to a bold post-event group interview, captured widespread attention.

Recalling Dongfeng Nissan's major electric vehicle launches over the past year, the all-electric sedan Nissan N7, which extensively incorporated domestic intelligent and electric technologies, was officially unveiled by Guankou Xun, the top Japanese executive at Dongfeng Nissan, and Zhou Feng, the top Chinese executive. Fast forward to the plug-in hybrid sedan Nissan N6 in December 2025, the launch event was hosted by the former Dongfeng Nissan Sales General Manager Liu Xinyu and Wang Qian.

It's noteworthy that Liu Xinyu was appointed as the General Manager of Nissan China in April of this year, marking a historic moment as he became the first Chinese General Manager of Nissan China.

Wang Qian, an executive from the post-80s generation, has clearly emerged as the 'voice' of Dongfeng Nissan's electric transformation, with his proactive engagement on social media garnering widespread acclaim. Now, with the return of Xin Yu, a seasoned sales executive with over a decade of experience known for his audacity, Dongfeng Nissan boasts a unique marketing edge among joint venture automakers, particularly in the realm of public opinion, which increasingly influences sales.

Combining sales performance, from N7 to N6 and then to NX8, Dongfeng Nissan has mastered the art of achieving peak sales upon product launch. The next challenge lies in how Xin Yu and Wang Qian can sustain the high sales momentum of Dongfeng Nissan's major electric vehicles post-launch.

01

Dongfeng Nissan Still Needs to Enhance Its Market Presence

Both the all-electric sedan Nissan N7 and the plug-in hybrid sedan Nissan N6 have exhibited certain market vulnerabilities.

Take Nissan N7 as an example; sales of this all-electric sedan have been on an upward trajectory since its launch in April 2025. According to third-party terminal sales data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers and the China Passenger Car Association, the vehicle surpassed 10,000 monthly sales in August of the same year, becoming the first joint venture all-electric sedan to achieve this milestone. However, Nissan N7's market performance began to wane thereafter, with sales plummeting to 1,925 units in December 2025 and remaining in the three-digit range for two consecutive months after entering 2026.

As for Nissan N6, launched in December 2025, its 'peak period' was even more fleeting. After achieving nearly 7,000 monthly sales in its launch month, Nissan N6's monthly sales dwindled to 3,012 units and 1,861 units in January and February of this year, respectively.

In fact, maintaining stable sales after a new car transitions from its launch peak to a steady sales period is a common challenge in the industry, and not even Huawei's Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance can achieve this with every model. On this front, sustaining the new car's relevance in the market is another crucial aspect.

In this regard, following the lackluster market performance of N7 and N6, Dongfeng Nissan's most memorable statements in the automotive circle stemmed from two instances of pointed remarks towards competitors.

'I heard the neighbor played a hand of 'two kings and four twos' to call 'landlord'? It's not just extremely similar to Nissan N6's launch event a month ago; it's identical!' On January 8th this year, @Dongfeng Nissan Wang Qian retweeted information about BYD's new Qin L and posted a picture implying that BYD had borrowed ideas from Dongfeng Nissan's launch event.

About a month later, on February 27th, when a promotional poster for GAC Toyota's bZ4X resembled the style of a new car launched by Dongfeng Nissan during the same period, @Dongfeng Nissan Wang Qian posted again: 'This kind of operation isn't new. I mean, can't you change a few things when copying? Even the layout, structure, and camera language are highly consistent. I'm starting to wonder if the team transferred.'

Whether these attention-grabbing maneuvers have benefited Dongfeng Nissan, particularly the sales of the N7 and N6 models under Wang Qian's purview, remains unverifiable. However, from the perspectives of the WeChat Index and the number of follow-up articles by media outlets, they did generate a minor wave of social media buzz (chuan bo, meaning 'dissemination' or 'spread').

Nevertheless, such aggressive tactics to garner attention come with risks. For instance, in early April this year, a promotional poster for Nissan NX8 by Dongfeng Nissan was accused of plagiarism by a design company. As of the press release, Wang Qian and Dongfeng Nissan had not responded to this 'backlash,' but the relevant poster had been removed.

Additionally, this isn't the first time Dongfeng Nissan has faced repercussions due to aggressive remarks from its executives. Last June, R&D executive Huang Zhaokun also drew widespread attention for questioning Xiaomi's order data, ultimately ending with a public apology.

Of course, as the adage goes, 'any publicity is good publicity.' The negative discussions surrounding these incidents may not be entirely detrimental to Dongfeng Nissan. However, from an observer's perspective, perhaps Wang Qian and Xin Yu could devise more refined tactics to gain attention.

02

Recommendation Achieved, Need to Sustain

Returning to the products, with N7, N6, and NX8 accurately capturing the preferences of their target customers and offering competitive prices, Dongfeng Nissan has forged a brand image distinct from most other joint venture automakers. As Xin Yu put it in a group interview after the April 8th launch event, Dongfeng Nissan is a 'joint venture new force, an industry new power.'

This is also mirrored in the brand's NPS (Net Promoter Score) dimension.

According to data from Jelani Lu, a consulting firm with significant industry recognition, in the second half of 2025's research on the health of new energy vehicle brands, Dongfeng Nissan ranked ninth in brand NPS, surpassing brands like Huawei's Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance Shangjie, Xiaomi, and XPENG. In the first half of 2025, Dongfeng Nissan didn't even make it into the TOP 42 in this survey.

Specifically for the models, Nissan N7 also emerged as the second-highest NPS mid-to-large sedan in the second half of 2025, second only to the Shangjie S9T, surpassing models like the ZHIJI L6, XPENG P7+, and BYD Han EV.

Clearly, Dongfeng Nissan's new energy vehicles are gaining traction, but it's crucial to note that as delivery volumes increase and vehicle mileage accumulates, quality stability will become a pivotal factor affecting brand and product recommendation.

On this front, Dongfeng Nissan is showing signs of an uptick in quality complaints.

According to data from Che Zhi Wang, a platform where user complaints require authentication and can be addressed by automakers, Nissan N7 saw a significant surge in the complaint-to-sales ratio in its ninth month after launch, with an annual complaint-to-sales ratio of 57.1 per 10,000 units, placing it in the mid-range among similar models. However, it's worth noting that user complaints about Nissan N7's quality issues primarily focus on body accessories and electrical components, meaning they are mostly minor issues that do not compromise driving safety.

Given the aggressiveness of Dongfeng Nissan's electric transformation, quality fluctuations within a reasonable range for the N-series new energy vehicles are understandable. Launching three new energy vehicles—N7, N6, and NX8—belonging to all-electric, plug-in hybrid, and extended-range hybrid categories within a year, Dongfeng Nissan is truly giving it their all.

Moreover, with the NX8, Dongfeng Nissan has achieved more 'firsts,' such as equipping it with fully electric doors for the first time and applying an 800V high-voltage architecture for the first time. These 'firsts' all have the potential to introduce issues that Dongfeng Nissan has not encountered before. From this vantage point, Dongfeng Nissan needs to heed the warning signs from Nissan N7, as quality stability is the bedrock of its brand.

In any case, the Nissan NX8 successfully carried forward the momentum of Dongfeng Nissan's electric transformation after N7 and N6. According to official automaker data, the vehicle garnered 8,423 orders within 30 minutes of its launch on April 8th, showcasing immense potential to become the next 10,000-unit monthly bestseller.

How to ensure Nissan NX8 follows a different sales trajectory from N7 and N6, which started strong but then declined, and even revitalize N7 and N6 onto an upward trajectory, will be the paramount task for Xin Yu and Wang Qian next.

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