Nissan rolls out new models to boost sales

Nissan Motor Philippines, Inc. (NMPI) is rolling out new models to boost its automotive sales, a top company official said.

In talks with newsmen during the recent launch of the Nissan Murano, NMPI president Leman Lee said the company plans in the next five years to roll out three completely knocked-down (CKD) models.

One would be a replacement of the Nissan Sentra, possibly in late 2007. The second would be the next generation Cefiro and the third would be a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), Lee said.

Lee said the company’s luxury sedan model, the Cefiro, would be replaced by the Teana by the middle of next year.

For this year, however, Lee said NMPI is introducing the Murano and will make major changes in the X-Trail, possibly in August.

NMPI would also be bringing in this year a two-door roadster as its 350 Z sportscar counterpart.

With the launch of the Murano, NMPI is projecting sales of 150 units per year or about 15 units per month. The target market for the Murano are businessmen.

The Murano is imported from Japan as a completely built-up unit. It was first unveiled in the 2002 New York Motor Show.

NMPI decided to bring the Murano to the Philippines due to its rigid body which is suitable for roads which are classified as "off-roads."

The Murano was launched in Taiwan only in November last year.

The competitor of the Murano in terms of performance would be the Volvo XC 90 and the BMW X5.

The tag price of the Murano is a hefty P2.58 million, in the same price range as the Mitsubishi Pajero although Lee stressed that the features of the Murano would be "much much better than the Pajero."