Nissan sees Mexico 2012 production rising 20-25 percent

A visitor is reflected in a Toyota Motor Corp's vehicle displayed at the company's showroom in Tokyo September 26, 2012.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The Mexican unit of Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) expects its 2012 vehicle production to rise by 20 percent to 25 percent, director Jose Luis Valls said on Thursday.

Nissan produced 607,087 units in Mexico last year, becoming the largest car maker in Latin America's second biggest economy.

Production will rise "more or less between 20 and 25 percent over last year," Valls told reporters at an auto industry event.

Nissan launched a $2 billion investment plan this year in Mexico to build its third plant in the country, which is expected to start operations by the end of 2013.

Nissan exports to 115 countries from Mexico. Valls said he remained optimistic that the Mexican government could renegotiate trade pacts with Brazil and Argentina, which have both restricted car imports from Mexico.

Brazil modified an auto pact with Mexico in March to slap a quota on surging imports of Mexican-made cars, a move that many saw as a return to protectionist policies of the past.

"Governments from both Brazil and Argentina have started to talk and they are progressing positively," Valls said. "We are very interested in that market."

Last week, sources told Reuters that Brazil is considering raising the three-year bilateral auto trade pact quota, potentially allowing Mexican exporters to sell around $350 million worth of additional vehicles to the Brazilian market annually.

(Reporting By Luis Rojas; Writing by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)