Nissan rolls out 2nd model from Chinese brand Venucia

BEIJING (AP) - Nissan has unveiled the second model from its new low-priced Chinese brand Venucia following what an executive said was a temporary dip in sales during anti-Japanese protests last month.

Nissan says the compact R50 hatchback will sell for as little as 67,800 yuan (S$13,000). It is part of a wave of new models by Japanese, United States and European automakers that are aimed at China's growing market outside major cities.

Venucia was created by Nissan and a local partner, Dongfeng Motor Co, and its first model debuted in April.

Dongfeng's president, Mr Kimiyasu Nakamura, said Nissan suffered a temporary dip in sales when protests erupted over a Beijing-Tokyo dispute about ownership of an uninhabited group of islands in the East China Sea. He said sales have since returned to normal.