Nissan sees RP auto industry sales growing 8% this year

Nissan Motor Philippines Inc. (NMPI) expects local auto sales to remain on high gear this year, zooming eight percent more to 126,000 units, as demand for compact cars and fuel-efficient models heightens.

Last year, the country’s auto industry sales broke past the 100,000-mark for the first time in a decade to 117,000 units as manufacturers unveiled upgraded variants of best-selling models to meet the growing demand for utility or multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs).

“The opportunity lies in the AUV and MPV segment where the biggest migration of vehicle owners seems to be happening,” NMPI president Allen Chen said during the launch yesterday of its 1.8-liter Grand Livina MPV.

He said NMPI wants to take advantage of the strong sales growth despite skyrocketing prices of oil, a major deterrent in vehicle sales.

“We are looking to sell between 200 to 250 units of Grand Livina monthly,” added Steven Hu, assistant vice president of NMPI.

He said there is a growing number of middle-level, young professionals looking for either compact cars or fuel-efficient MPVs.

Hu said another target sector is the female market, or those who prefer the liberty to drive their children to school, drive themselves to the grocery, the market and the malls.

“It is the growing trend in Asia and that is the same for the Philippines,” he added.

He said NMPI is looking to capture about 15 percent of the sedan market and another 15 percent of the MPV market.

The NMPI officials said that the 1.8-liter Grand Livina is tailor-made for such markets as it performs like a sedan in terms of looks, feel and has the space of an MPV.

It is currently being produced in the NMPI manufacturing plant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna  and similar to the model introduced in China, Indonesia and Malaysia.

The seven-seater, new Nissan MPV is priced from P848,000 for the 1.8 XL Elite (manual), P898,000 for the 1.8 Luxury (automatic), and P968,000 for the 1.8 Luxury (automatic).

The 1.8L Elite with manual transmission is complete with 2DIN single CD audio system and fabric seats.

The 1.8L Luxury comes in with an automatic transmission, front fog lamps and driver-side airbag in addition to the anti-lock braking system, electronic brake force distribution and brake assist.

The top-of-the-line 1.8L Elegance with automatic transmission adds on a passenger airbag, leather seats, a six-disc in-dash CD changer, elegant wood trim and fascia.

In the first four months of the year, total automobile sales in the Philippines grew 14.8 percent to 39,981 units. In April alone, 11,078 units were sold.

Commercial vehicles dominated the market accounting for 66 percent of total sales. Passenger car sales dropped, however,1.4 percent to only 3,691 units in the same period.