RACONTEURPH

Nissan posts 40% growth amid challenges in 2018

After a strong 2018, Nissan celebrated the start of the new year by reaffirming the brand’s position as one of the leaders in the automotive industry.

The Japanese automaker grew 40% from last year after selling 34,952 units in 2018, giving the company an 8.7% market share. It was herewith the only brand to post double-digit growth after higher excise taxes, rising inflation, and increasing fuel prices affected the Philippine economy last year.

The sales performance of Nissan’s core products were key to the company’s record year. The Nissan Navara was the main driver for the company’s growth, as the popular pickup truck contributed 46.2% of the sales in the Philippines. The new Nissan Terra also drove sales for the company, as the much-awaited M-SUV already contributed 11.9% of sales locally after its launch last May. Other models performed well in the Philippines last year, notably the Nissan Urvan and Almera contributing to 19.5% and 17.5%, respectively.

Nissan had a number of highlights for 2018. One of them is the much-awaited premiere of the Nissan Terra, the company’s entry into the midsize SUV (M-SUV) segment. The Philippines was the venue for the M-SUV’s launch last May, and also the first in the world to receive the seven-seater, Nissan Intelligent Mobility-equipped configuration.

Last year, Nissan unveiled at the 7th Philippine International Motor Show last October the long-awaited 370Z NISMO as the newest addition to its motorsports lineup. Along with Nissan Intelligent Mobility-equipped vehicles, the brand’s pavilion also featured special edition models Nissan Terra S and Navara Warrior X, as well as the iconic Nissan LEAF, the world’s best-selling electric vehicle (EV).

The automotive brand also participated in the 6th Philippine EV Summit, where the head of Nissan's global EV business unit Nicholas Thomas said that automakers, governments, and other stakeholders are key in creating the right environment to enable customers to switch to electric vehicles. This is in line with Nissan’s vision to bring safe, smart, and sustainable mobility to more people in more markets.

In a thanksgiving event held for the media, Nissan Philippines President and Managing Director Ramesh Narasimhan said that the company’s performance came from executing the basics of focusing on product, process, and people. “To change the game, we have to stick to our fundamentals. With what we have achieved last year, we can now look forward to dreaming bigger for 2019,” he said.