Pickup truck props up Nissan sales in 2019

NISSAN Philippines Inc. has kept its position as one of the country’s leading vehicle assemblers after posting a double-digit growth in sales, and overshooting the automotive industry’s target last year.

Nissan on Tuesday reported it closed 2019 with sales of 42,694 units, 22 percent higher than the 2018 record of 34,952 units. As such, the Japanese automobile brand maintained its rank as the third leading industry player, trailing Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp.

It also broke two of its own sales records last year—in March when it sold 4,616 units, and in September when it sold 4,768 units.

Pickup truck Nissan Navara contributed nearly 45 percent of the firm’s total sales at 19,034 units, followed by the M-SUV Nissan Terra and light commercial van Nissan Urvan with sales of 10,469 units and 7,157 units, respectively. As Nissan’s first entry in the segment, the Terra is the third best-selling M-SUV among brands by the end of 2019.

Last year also saw Nissan Philippines receiving the Nissan Global Award for Financial Year 2019 as a top sales performer for the brand globally. Nissan Philippines President and Managing Director Atsushi Najima said the vehicle assembler seeks to sustain its growth track over the next years by coming up with new products, reliable services and strong dealership.

“Nissan’s continued growth annually is the result of the company’s focus on the fundamentals. We aim to sustain our growth in the years to come with innovative products, reliable services, a strong dealer network and a vibrant company culture of talented people,” said Najima.

Nissan Philippines is a member of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. According to Campi, the automotive industry finished 2019 on a positive note by expanding sales by 3.5 percent to 369,941 units, from 357,410 units in 2018.

However, the expansion last year was below the industry’s objective of growing sales by 10 percent to recover from its dismal performance in 2018 caused by the introduction of new taxes, higher inflation and unstable fuel prices.