Venucia
Product typeCar marque
OwnerDongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Co, Ltd.
CountryChina
IntroducedSeptember 2010
MarketsChina
Previous owners
  • Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Co, Ltd.
  • Dongfeng Venucia Motor Company
Websitehttp://www.venucia.com/
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese启辰
Traditional Chinese啟辰
Literal meaning
  • Morning star[1]
  • Beginning of a new day
Dongfeng Venucia Motor Company
Native name
东风启辰汽车公司
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryAutomotive
PredecessorVenucia marque division of Dongfeng Nissan
Founded7 February 2017
DefunctDecember 2020
FateMerged back into Dongfeng Nissan
Headquarters
Wuhan
,
China
Area served
China
ProductsCars
Production output
Decrease 109,092 (2019)[2]
ParentDongfeng Motor Co., Ltd.

Venucia is a car marque of Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company (Dongfeng Nissan), a subsidiary of Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd. The marque was launched in September 2010 by Dongfeng Nissan. From February 2017 until the end of 2020, Venucia was spun off from Dongfeng Nissan as a separate Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd. subsidiary focused on the marketing and production of cars, with the name Dongfeng Venucia Motor Company.[note 1][3][4][5] In December 2020, Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd announced it would merge Venucia back into Dongfeng Nissan.

History

In September 2010 Dongfeng Nissan unveiled a new marque, Venucia, to be used to sell vehicles developed and designed by the company in China specifically for the domestic market.[6][7]

In November 2011 Dongfeng Nissan announced that the first car to be sold under the Venucia marque would be the D50 mid-class saloon, and that it would go on sale in the first half of 2012.[8]

Dongfeng Nissan unveiled a production version of the Venucia e30 electric car at the 2012 Auto Guangzhou motor show. An earlier version, the Venucia E-Concept was unveiled at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show. Initially, the electric car was scheduled for production in China by 2015, and it has the same bodywork, dimensions, electric-drive specifications and shares other features of the Nissan Leaf. Dongfeng Nissan planned to start a pilot project in 15 Chinese cities to promote Venucia e30 jointly with local governments.[9][10] A total of 216 units were delivered through December 2013. These units are being marketed as Venucia Morning Wind and they are rebadged Leafs since local production has not begun yet.[11] In April 2014 Dongfeng Nissan announced that retail sales of the Venucia e30 were scheduled to begin in September 2014.[12]

Dongfeng Nissan launched its second production model, the R50 five-door mid-size hatchback car, in September 2012.[13] The R50 was designed in China and is aimed at first-time buyers.[14]

The Venucia Viwa concept car was unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2013, previewing a new production car based on the platform of the Nissan March.[15] The R30 was subsequently launched in 2014.[16]

In its first two years of sales (2012-2014), Nissan claimed 200,000 Venucia cars had been sold.[16]

In January 2015, the T70 was launched,[17] a compact SUV based on the Nissan Qashqai.

In February 2017, Venucia was spun off as a separate subsidiary of Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd.[3][4] That same year, the company introduced a new mid-sized saloon, the D60, which was the first vehicle incorporating a new design style for the Venucia marque.[18] From 2018 onwards, the company has been launching electric versions of its internal combustion engine-powered models.[19]

In late 2019, Dongfeng Venucia announced the introduction of the Star (Chinese: 星; pinyin: Xīng), a small crossover.[20] Sales started in early 2020.[21] The Star was the first to have the "Galaxy-V" marque styling. It was also the first to be built on the Venucia Smart Arquitecture (VSA), a modular system allowing Dongfeng Venucia more localisation for platforms while also facilitating the fitting of components from the different Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance companies.[20][21]

In December 2020, Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd. announced a company reorganisation as part of which it would merge back Venucia into Dongfeng Nissan.[22]

Design and manufacturing

At first, Venucia's cars were designed directly by Dongfeng Nissan. In 2014, the company announced it would establish a separate facility in Guangzhou aimed exclusively at designing Venucias, called Venucia Design Centre,[23] which was opened in June 2016.[5] In April 2018, Dongfeng Venucia opened an advanced design centre in Shanghai.[24]

The Venucia vehicles are assembled at plants located in Guangzhou and Zhengzhou.[25]

Marketing

The first marque slogan for Venucia was "reading the world in a pleased China" (Chinese: 阅世界，悦中国; pinyin: Yuè shìjiè, yuè zhōngguó).[26] At the 2013 Auto Guangzhou, the marque introduced a second slogan, "vibrant life, within reach" (Chinese: 多彩生活•触手可及; pinyin: Duōcǎi shēnghuó•chùshǒu kě jí).[27] There also was an English-language slogan, "enjoy more".[27] In 2017, the Venucia company introduced the English-language slogan "Better for Better"[3] and the Chinese-language slogan "ingenious craftsmanship, going with you" (Chinese: 匠心匠品，与你同行; pinyin: Jiàngxīn jiàng pǐn, yǔ nǐ tóngxíng).[28] That same year, the company unveiled a revised marque logo,[18] replacing the original five stars on a deep blue background[1][29] for a similar but simpler design.[29]

In February 2014, Venucia agreed to sponsor the Guangzhou Hengda until January 2016, with the club promoting Venucia's model line-up.[30][31] The sponsorship ended in December 2015, after Dongfeng Nissan sued the Guangzhou Hengda for breach of contract because the club allegedly did not include Venucia advert on the team kit as agreed. The Guangzhou Huadu District Court ruled in favour of Dongfeng Nissan.[31]

In June 2015, Venucia sponsored the International Vertical Marathon.[32] In January 2019, Dongfeng Venucia signed an official sponsorship agreement for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.[33]

Up to early 2020, all Venucia models were marketed with alphanumerical designations (a letter and two numbers). The Venucia Star was the first with only an alphabetical name.[21]

Products

The following Venucia vehicles are currently available in China:

  • Venucia e30, EV based on Nissan Leaf (2015–2018), EV based on Renault City K-ZE (2019–present)
  • D60, four-door compact sedan (2017–present)
  • M50V, MPV (2017–present)
  • Star, compact CUV (2020–present)
  • V-Online, compact CUV (2021–present)
  • T60, subcompact five-door CUV (2019–present)
  • T70, five-door compact CUV (2015–present)
  • T90, 3-row mid-size fastback CUV (2016–present)
  • VX6, Five-door electric SUV (2023-present)

The following Venucia vehicles are discontinued products:

  • R30, five-door supermini (2014–2017)
  • R50, five-door subcompact hatchback (2012–2017) based on the Nissan Tiida hatchback
  • R50X, AWD raised hatchback (2013–2017) based on the Nissan Tiida hatchback
  • D50, four-door subcompact saloon car (2012–2017) based on the Nissan Tiida sedan
  • T70X, raised AWD compact five-door CUV (2015–2017)

Concept cars

  • Venucia Viwa (electric vehicle concept, 2013)[34]
  • Venucia Vow (coupe concept, 2015)[35]
  • Venucia The X (crossover concept, 2018)[24]
  • Venucia The V (crossover concept, 2019)

Notes

  1. ↑ The company name was also translated as Dongfeng Venucia Vehicle Company.

References

  1. 1 2 "Dongfeng-Nissan Introduces New Passenger Car Marque: Qichen (Venucia)". ChinaAutoWeb. 8 September 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  2. ↑ "Report on Production and Sales Volume of Dongfeng Motor Group at December 2019" (PDF) (Press release). Dongfeng Motor Group. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Dongfeng Venucia Motor Company established to elevate the development". DFL. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  4. 1 2 "东风启辰汽车公司成立 启辰品牌脱离东风日产独立" [Dongfeng Venucia Motor Company sets up the Venucia marque as a company independent of Dongfeng Nissan]. auto.people.com.cn (in Chinese). People's Daily - Auto Channel. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  5. 1 2 Li, Fusheng (8 February 2017). "Venucia revs up as independent firm". China Daily. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  6. ↑ "Dongfeng Nissan unveils new China brand Venucia". Reuters. 8 September 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "Dongfeng Nissan Launches First Self-developed Auto Model". CRI English. 8 September 2010. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  8. ↑ "Nissan's China Sales to Exceed 800,000 Units, Kimata Says". Bloomberg Businessweek. 21 November 2011. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  9. ↑ Takada, Kazunori (21 November 2012). "Nissan to build electric car under China-only brand by 2015". Reuters. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  10. ↑ Voelcker, John (27 November 2012). "What Do You Call A Nissan Leaf In China? How About Venucia E30?". Green Car Reports. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  11. ↑ Gasnier, Mat (14 January 2014). "China December 2013: Focus on the all-new models". Best Selling Cars Blog. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  12. ↑ Blanco, Sebastian (21 April 2014). "Chinese Nissan Leaf goes on sale in September as Venucia e30". Autoblog Green. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  13. ↑ "Dongfeng Nissan releases second Venucia model". Gasgoo. 11 September 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  14. ↑ "Nissan unveils Venucia's new model". Gulf News. 9 September 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  15. ↑ "Dongfeng-Nissan Venucia Viwa concept debuts on the Shanghai Auto Show". Car News China. 20 April 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  16. 1 2 "DONGFENG NISSAN APPEALS TO FIRST-TIME CHINESE CAR BUYERS WITH VENUCIA R30". Nissan. 16 July 2014. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  17. ↑ "DONGFENG NISSAN KICKS OFF 2015 WITH VENUCIA T70". Nissan. 10 January 2015. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  18. 1 2 Zhang, Meng (12 September 2017). "东风启辰换新LOGO 车联网战略正式发布" [New logo for Dongfeng Venucia. Car networking strategy officially released]. auto.sina.com (in Chinese). SINA. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  19. ↑ Li, Fusheng (12 February 2018). "Dongfeng Motor sets sights on being top electric car maker". China Daily. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  20. 1 2 "为你开启"星"未来!" [Open the "Star" future!] (in Chinese). Venucia (Dongfeng Venucia Motor Company). Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  21. 1 2 3 Liang, Haiwen (20 March 2020). "迈入互联时代 试驾启辰星1.5T自动挡" [Entering into the conected era. Test drive of the Venucia Star 1.5T, automatic transmission]. autohome.com.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  22. ↑ Sun, Tongtong (28 December 2020). Sun, Lei (ed.). "东风有限整合成立5大事业部 启辰品牌重回东风日产" [DFL establishes five business units by integration, the Venucia marque returns to Dongfeng Nissan]. nbd.com.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  23. ↑ Kuwahara, Ken (6 August 2014). "Nissan to bolster China brand with design, tech centers". Nikkei. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  24. 1 2 "东风启辰战队车展集结 全新一代概念车"The X"首发" [Dongfeng Venucia team gathers at auto show. New "The X" concept debuts]. xinhuanet.com (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  25. ↑ Jacobs, A.J. (2015). The New Domestic Automakers in the United States and Canada: History, Impacts, and Prospects. Lexington Books. p. 298. ISBN 9780739188262.
  26. ↑ "匠心匠品 与你同行" [Ingenious craftsmanship, going with you]. hzdaily.hangzhou.com.cn (in Chinese). Hangzhou Daily. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  27. 1 2 "启辰发布新品牌口号 e30中文名定为晨风" [Venucia released a new brand slogan. e30 Chinese name, Morning Breeze]. auto.sohu.com (in Chinese). Sohu. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  28. ↑ "启辰打造全新品牌口号 体育营销助力品牌突破" [Venucia has new marque slogan. Sports marketing helps to the marque breakthrough]. auto.people.com.cn (in Chinese). People's Daily - Auto Channel. 19 December 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  29. 1 2 Wang, Biwan (25 July 2017). "Dongfeng Venucia changing brand logo arises suspicion". Gasgoo. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  30. ↑ Chen, Liang (17 June 2014). "启辰多位高管人事大调整 颜宏斌升任部长" [Yan Hongbin promotion brings major personnel reshuffle at Venucia]. auto.gznet.com (in Chinese). China Telecom (Guangzhou branch). Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  31. 1 2 "恒大淘宝被判违约 赔偿东风日产2478万元" [The Hengda Taobao was sentenced to pay Dongfeng Nissan CN¥24.78 million for breach of contract]. business.sohu.com (in Chinese). Sohu. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  32. ↑ "Hit it off! Venucia became the sponsor of International Vertical Marathon". Yutang Sports. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  33. ↑ "东风启辰等三家品牌成为2019年篮球世界杯官方赞助商" [Three brands including Dongfeng Venucia became the official sponsors of the 2019 Basketball World Cup]. kaixan.tv (in Chinese). 3 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  34. ↑ Beissmann, Tim (23 April 2013). "Venucia Viwa: Nissan's Chinese sub-brand unveils new concept". CarAdvice.au. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  35. ↑ "Venucia VOW concept unveiled on the Shanghai Auto Show". CarNewsChina. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
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