Samir Cherfan, MD, Nissan Middle East, has been appointed MD, Nissan Saudi Arabia. The Japanese automaker has ambitious plans to grow its market share in the Kingdom.

Cherfan possesses a wealth of knowledge of the region and is a fluent Arabic speaker. He will maintain his existing role while taking up the new position.

Nissan Saudi Arabia is a joint venture formed with the auto maker’s partner Khaled Juffali Company and is expected to play an important role in bolstering its presence in the biggest market in Middle East. Nissan is establishing a new, fully-fledged office in Jeddah to be staffed with 80 to 100 people for the joint operation.

“Africa, the Middle East and India region is one of growth as Nissan’s strategic driver and the latest appointments will further strengthen our business in the region," says Takashi Hata, SVP in charge of Nissan’s Africa, the Middle East and India region.

“In particular, we continue to focus to make more major inroads into the Saudi market. The new management structure will be of great assistance in that regard,” he added.

In the last financial year NMEF achieved record sales in the Middle East of 196,885 vehicles, a 23.1 percent increase on the 2012 financial year.

In March, the company sold more vehicles in a single month in the region than ever before when it notched an outstanding 28,900 units.

In the 2013 financial year, Nissan also announced a highly ambitious plan for the Saudi market. The target is to reach unit sales of 100,000 and claim a 12 percent market share by the 2016 financial year.

Meantime, Kazutaka Nambu, currently managing director of Nissan Motor Egypt has been appointed vice president, sales and marketing Africa, the Middle East and India. He will also continue his current role.