MANILA: Philippines Nissan has decided to open 10 new dealerships in the country this year, with six of them to open this month. According to NPI president and managing director Antonio Zara at the sidelines of the test drive of the 12th generation pick up Navara, NP300, in Ilocos Norte last week.
In an interview, the official said two of the six new dealerships to open this month will be in Visayas, two will be in Luzon, and the remaining dealerships will be in Mindanao. Specifics of the new dealers, however, were not discussed. At present, NPI, a year-old company, has 28 dealers nationwide. In Cebu, it is Nissan Cebu Distributors Inc. NPI will bring in 38 dealers in total this year. “We, in Nissan, would like to grow our business at 40 percent (sales). We need to be gaining market share. Before, we were at three percent market share,” Zara said. Previously, Nissan in the Philippines ran under the Universal Motors Corporation (UMC) and Nissan Motor Philippines Inc (NMPI), Zara said.
In September 2013, NPI was formed, a joint venture involving Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (Nissan) and UMC and Yulon Philippines Investment Co. Ltd. Nissan holds a 51 percent stake in the company while UMC and Yulon each owns 24.5% of the outstanding and issued shares. The new company is capitalized at one billion yen or US $9.8 million. “The reason Nissan (in Japan) took over the Philippines (domestic operations) is because we see the Philippines as one of the fastest growing market in Southeast Asia. We believe we need to have our fair share,” Zara said.
From the establishment of NPI, it has already launched four new cars in less than a year. It first launched Sylphy and Altima in March 2014, followed by the third generation X-Trail, and the NP300 Navara last month. For Navara, NPI general manager for marketing SJ Huh said they are targeting to hit the third spot this year for the pick up segment, following Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux. With the “tough and smart” Navara pickup from Thailand, Zara is anticipating a boost in their sales in Mindanao where the pick up market is significant. For this year, NPI is targeting to sell 4,000 units of Navara NP300.
For Visayas and Mindanao, Nissan Cebu Distributors Inc general manager Julie Sy Tio said it holds a 20 percent share of Nissan’s nationwide sales. The core business, according to Nissan officials, is still mostly concentrated in Manila. An exclusive feature of the NP300 Navara is its seven-speed automatic gearbox with manual mode that offer a wider range of speed with an expanded gear ratio while providing “better acceleration, smother shifting, and reduced fuel consumption even at low speeds,” among its many other features. The pick up is sold at an introductory price of P898,000 to P1.49 million and is available in orange, black, silver, and white.