ETCM promises more new Nissan models for 2012
Despite less than encouraging forecasts of 2012’s global economic outlook, Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd is anticipating a year of good sales for the Nissan brand in Malaysia, to be boosted by the launch of a series of new models this year, beginning with the NV200 Vanette and Navara Single Cab that were just recently launched.
More to come are a new B-segment sedan which we believe should be the Almera, a pilot programme for the all-electric Nissan Leaf, and ‘a few interesting CBU models’. Of course, when they say ‘interesting’, we doubt it is referring to the mind-bending Nissan GT-R. Closer indicators of what’s coming are likely to be Nissan’s exhibits in the KL Motor Show of 2010 where the Elgrand, Juke, and March were put on display.
ETCM’s Executive Director, Dato’ Dr Ang Bon Beng commented at the event, “2012 will not be a rosy year for the automotive sector. First quarter remains challenging because supply interruptions caused by the Thailand flood continue to persist. Apart from this, the stringent loan conditions for hire purchase of vehicles in Malaysia may affect our sales too. Moreover, consumers are cautious on the global economic outlook. Market will only pick up in the second half of the year. MAA forecast that TIV will grow 2.5% to hit 615,000 units this year. We are confident that Nissan sales volume will exceed industry growth with the introduction of new models in segments which Nissan is currently unrepresented.”
According to Dato’ Ang, the Nissan Grand Livina continues to be the best-selling non-national MPV, accounting for 40.4% of the market, though that share becomes 13.4& once we add the Proton Exora and Perodua Alza into consideration. The Nissan Urvan, meanwhile, accounted for 43.7% market share amongst diesel-powered window vans that include the Toyota Hiace, Kia Pregio, and a number of Chinese competitors as its rivals.
Dato’ Ang also mentioned that the Nissan Sylphy was the best selling 2.0-litre non-national C segment vehicle. Of course it should be noted that, unlike most of its rivals, the Sylphy does not have smaller displacement 1.6 or 1.8-litre variants for customers to choose from.
Like many of its Japanese rivals, Nissan was substantially hit by the fearsome tsunami in Japan followed by the devastating floods in Thailand that wrecked havoc with stocks and supply chain. Although things are gradually returning to normal, these interruptions have caused lengthy build up in backlogged orders for certain models (notably the Livina X-Gear, based on feedback from our forums).
“The automotive sector went through a roller-coaster ride last year due to unforeseen natural disasters in Japan and Thailand. Many auto players were affected and Nissan was not spared. Nevertheless, we achieved some great results despite the challenging landscape,” Dato’ Dr Ang added.
