NISSAN Philippines Inc. (NPI) is keyed in on its new models for growth to pick up from a lackluster year. “The slowdown in calendar year 2014 was due to the phasing out of old generation models, starting with the X-Trail and the old Navara, as well as import license issues in the past.
“But with our launching of the new X-Trail and now, the new Navara, we are confident of growth,” said Antonio Zara, president and managing director of NPI.
With the negative growth of the company in calendar year 2014, NPI is looking to turn things around for the incoming fiscal year, which starts in April, as it introduced the NP300 Navara on Monday evening.
“Since we aim to be the top 3 pickup in the segment, this means our monthly target is 300 to 400 units per month, depending on demand. This is 15 [percent] to 20 percent of the pickup market,” Zara said.
Toru Hosegawa, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. vice president of the Asia and Oceania Business, said he shares Zara’s optimism.
Hosegawa cited the country’s pace of growth as basis, citing “the positive momentum in the Philippines,” which has “the fastest gross domestic product growth rate in Asean.”
With a 35-to-1,000 population car-ownership ratio compared to other countries such as Indonesia and Thailand, there is a big potential here in the Philippines, he explained.
The Philippines “will have a central role to play in our goal in achieving 8 percent of the global market,” Hasegawa said in a news conference.
The Japanese car brand launched in September last year the All-New X-trail, its bid in the midsize crossover sport-utility vehicle. The car manufacturer’s recent launch of the Navara brings to 10 its offered models in the Philippine market: Almera, Altima, Sylphy, Navara, Urvan, Patrol Royale, Patrol Super Safari, Murano, Grand Lavinia and the X-Trail.
The transition of two Nissan companies, Nissan Motor Philippines Inc. (NMPI) and Universal Motor Corp. (UMC), has just been completed and consolidated the firm’s sales network, according to Zara.
UMC, now named Univation Motor Philippines Inc., previously was producing and distributing Nissan commercial vehicles, while NMPI was making and selling sedans. With the transition completed, Zara said all 28 existing dealerships of NPI is selling both commercial and passenger vehicles.
NPI locally assembles the Almera, Patrol and Urvan models, and imports the remaining models into the country.
While Hasegawa said there are no immediate plans to invest in production assembly, “the product situation will be aligned to the government plan.”
NPI is targeting an overall sales target of 12,000 units this year, with a foreseen 50:50 production to import ratio.