Is Venucia a Domestic or Joint Venture Brand?
3 Answers
Venucia is a domestic car brand, but it is the "domestic brand" of a joint venture automaker. Venucia is a brand under Dongfeng, and the models under the Venucia brand are produced on Nissan's production lines. Some Venucia vehicles use Nissan's core components (engine, transmission, and chassis). Dongfeng Venucia offers a range of models, including sedans, hatchbacks, and SUVs. Here’s some background on the brand: On September 8, 2010, Dongfeng Nissan officially launched its independent brand, Venucia. The birth of Venucia marked Dongfeng Nissan's entry into the "dual-brand" operation phase. The Venucia logo features a blue background, with a five-pointed star symbolizing perfection. The five stars represent the five stars in the sky and the five elements on earth, signifying harmony and auspiciousness.
When it comes to Venucia, it's a common sight on the road, but many people are actually unclear about its origins. This brand is genuinely homegrown, a brainchild of Dongfeng Motor Group. However, its background is quite interesting—it was initially incubated in 2010 through a collaboration between Dongfeng and Nissan, carrying a bit of joint-venture technical DNA. Back then, it was called Dongfeng Nissan Venucia, with its core components directly utilizing Nissan's mature platforms. For instance, the D50 was based on the Nissan Tiida, and even mechanics noted that the parts were largely interchangeable. After 2017, the brand became independently owned by Dongfeng, but it continued to follow the Japanese approach of fuel efficiency and durability in its technology. The current Venucia V DD-i hybrid still uses Nissan's range-extender logic for its engine. In simple terms: its parents are Chinese, but the technical know-how taught at home follows the Japanese joint-venture style.
Recently, I accompanied a friend to check out the Venucia Star, and her first question was, 'Does this joint-venture car have big discounts?' which amused me. Actually, from an equity perspective, Venucia is now entirely Dongfeng Motor's own brand, with its red-background silver star logo long separated from Nissan. But its product development has always carried strong joint-venture characteristics—just look at its production base located within Zhengzhou Nissan's factory, following Japanese process standards in the workshops. The sales channels are quite interesting; last year in Foshan, I saw some dealerships still displaying dual signage for Dongfeng Nissan and Venucia. The most concrete example is my friend’s 6-year-old T70, which uses the same MR20 engine as the old Qashqai, with maintenance costs a third cheaper than the X-Trail. So if you must categorize it, just remember it's a 'hybrid player'—domestic in identity, but with joint-venture technology in its veins.
