Nissan's Lannia concept likely to see production, target young Chinese buyers

New four-door sedan could be central to Nissan\'s China strategy.

Nissan has all but confirmed that its Lannia concept, first unveiled last week in Beijing, will likely be developed into a production vehicle.

Chief planning officer Andy Palmer suggests a production edition would aim to attract the "post-'80s" generation in China, a group of 240 million citizens in their mid-20s to 30s.

The Lannia concept is a follow-up to the "Friend-Me" show car that made its debut in 2013. The original idea was more of a design exercise created by Nissan's Chinese design studio, created specifically for young Chinese consumers. It has since taken a form that is not far off from a production car.

"You can see that the car itself is much closer to a production type vehicle," said Palmer. "So whilst we haven't confirmed yet that this will definitely go into production, I think it's definitely fair to say that we have every intention that this goes to market."

The interior promises to accommodate the digital lifestyle of the "balinghou" generation, likely with a large touchscreen infotainment system and a focus on mobile device integration, though full details remain unclear.

Nissan is not saying when it expects to bring a production model to the market, but the company is vocal with its broader ambitions. It aims to reach 10-percent market share in the country, with unit sales of two million vehicles.