Nissan Breaks Ground on Russian Plant

Nissan Motor broke ground Monday on a new $200 million assembly plant here that is expected to begin building the redesigned Teana sedan in early 2009.

The facility, which includes paint, trim and chassis lines, will have an annual capacity of 50,000 units. After the launch of the Teana, Nissan expects to add production of the redesigned X-Trail crossover.

The St. Petersburg plant is Nissan's first in Russia. The automaker said it expects Russia will overtake the U.K. this year as Nissan's top sales market in Europe. Last year, Nissan sold 75,000 vehicles in Russia.