UPDATE 2-Nissan eyes 4.6 pct rise in China car sales in 2009

(Adds executive comment, comparison against global sales)

TOKYO, Feb 12 - Japan's Nissan Motor Co said on Thursday it aimed to expand its Chinese vehicle sales by 4.6 percent this year in a market that has become one of the few remaining hopes for the embattled industry.

Nissan, Japan's third-largest carmaker, wants to sell 570,000 cars and light commercial vehicles in 2009 in China, which accounted for about 15 percent of its global sales last year.

Its sales in the world's second-largest car market grew 19 percent in 2008 to 545,000 units, beating a 7 percent rise in China's overall passenger car market.

Automakers around the world are counting on China to ease some of the pain from a plunge in demand in the developed markets of North America, Europe and Japan amid the global recession. Nissan this week forecast its first annual operating loss in 14 years citing the economy-driven slump in sales and a stronger yen.

China's car sales growth slowed to a single digit last year for the first time in at least 10 years as consumer confidence waned with a slowing economy.

Kimiyasu Nakamura, president of Dongfeng Motor Co, told a news conference in Tokyo he expected the government's economic stimulus package and lowered taxes on smaller cars to help bring some demand back, although he stopped short of forecasting the rate of growth -- if any -- for the overall Chinese market this year.

Chinese car sales in January fell 8 percent from the year before but improved from the previous month, bolstered by government incentives. Sales were also dragged down by the Lunar New Year holidays, which happened in February last year.

Nissan's local 50-50 venture with Dongfeng Motor Group, called Dongfeng Motor Co, sold 708,000 cars, light commercial vehicles and medium and heavy-duty trucks last year, up 16 percent from 2007.

The joint venture has a goal of selling 1 million vehicles in 2012 and making annual sales of 100 billion yuan ($14.6 billion) by 2012, up from 59.32 billion yuan in 2007, as part of a five-year business plan that began last year.

Shares in Nissan, owned 44 percent by France's Renault SA, ended 2.9 percent lower at 272 yen in line with the Nikkei 225 stock average.