The glory days of the 80’s and 90’s saw Nissan become a household name in the local automotive scene, ingraining itself in the Filipino psyche through their iconic vehicles like the Nissan Sentra, California, and Stanza. However, over the years, Nissan slowly took the backseat in the minds of the market because of shifting consumer preferences.

Nissan, with a proud global heritage in over 80 years, determined to bring back that excitement to the Philippine market, through the establishment of a consolidated national sales company. This 2015, Nissan Philippines Inc. (NPI) celebrates its second year anniversary of delivering on the brand promise of “Innovation that Excites”. With the boom of motorization in the Philippines, NPI has continuously addressed the needs of the modern citizen with a wide variety of vehicles and innovative services.

“Every day in Nissan, we turn WHAT IF into WHAT IS. It is our promise to deliver ‘Innovation that excites,’” explains NPI President and Managing Director Antonio Zara. “We are driven by our desire to excite people through continuous innovation. We push at the boundaries of what’s possible for the sole purpose of making every day driving experiences more rewarding for everyone.”

To celebrate Nissan’s tradition of delivering excitement and innovation to the public, NPI today launched the “Rediscover Excitement, Rediscover Nissan” campaign to encourage the market to rediscover the brand they thought was once left in the past.

“In our two short years of operations as Nissan Philippines Inc., we have been able to achieve a lot of significant milestones for the Nissan brand. Through our loyal customers and Nissan dealers, we have been able to continuously strengthen our presence here in the local market as we deliver exciting innovations.” Said Zara “However, we believe that we still have ways to go in bringing back our glory days of the 80s and early 90s. This is why we are encouraging more people to rediscover Nissan and what Nissan is now offering to Filipino customers.”

Within its first two years of operations, NPI has brought back the excitement in driving through a series of new product launches, which brings the refreshed versions of almost each vehicle to the local market.

This includes the Nissan Sylphy, a modern take on the beloved Sentra badge, offering more for its class; The Nissan Altima that combines the excitement of driving with the elegance of style; The soon to be refreshed Nissan Almera which delivers unmatched space and comfort in a compact sedan; The Nissan X-Trail, the testosterone-driven compact SUV that lets you perform any action in style; The all new NV350 Urvan, a powerful and versatile road companion; The all new Nissan NP300 Navara, a tough and smart pickup equipped with many firsts in its class features, providing comfortable ride thanks to the rear multilink coil spring suspension; and The Nissan Patrol Royale, the prestigious large SUV capable in any road, now available at Php 3,990,000.

Now, Nissan introduces the new Nissan Juke, a compact crossover that is built to thrill. A bold dynamic exterior design, intuitive Integrated Control System, powerful 1.6L DOHC gasoline engine, and Xtronic CVT transmission make the Nissan Juke one of the most highly anticipated Nissan vehicles in the market. The promise of a fun and exciting drive gives the market another reason to rediscover the excitement of Nissan.

After two years of success, NPI is currently working to bring the brand closer to its customers, allowing them to rediscover the ease and convenience of Nissan. NPI is currently spearheading an aggressive expansion for its dealership network nationwide to bring Nissan closer to its customers.  From the current 28 dealerships, 11 more dealers were signed up, covering the strategic areas of NCR and Luzon (Sucat, Sta. Rosa, Bulacan), Visayas (Cebu, Iloilo, Dumaguete) and Mindanao (Butuan, Zamboanga and General Santos).

“We foresee that growth will be outside of Metro Manila, that is why we are bringing Nissan vehicles closer to our provincial market base,” Zara said.

Complementing this is another innovation in the local automotive industry: the Nissan Parts Online store portal, which will go live by November 3, 2015. With this local industry first initiative of Nissan, Nissan customers in the entire country can now enjoy purchasing parts, accessories, and merchandise at affordable prices from the comfort of their own homes and enjoy the convenience of free shipping. This service is guaranteed 24-hour delivery within Metro Manila.

Nissan also called on gamers to rediscover their racing dream with the launch of the first ever Nissan GT Academy program in the Philippines. An innovation where in young gamers are challenged to prove their racing prowess both on screen and on the race track, the Nissan GT Academy heralded in the democratization of motorsports in the country.

The first Nissan GT Academy Philippine leg helped pave the way for dreamers to achieve their goals, as their stellar performance in the virtual world of racing led them to the real thing. Joward Policarpio, one of the contenders during the Nissan GT Academy Philippine leg, succeeded to be the first ever Nissan GT Academy Asia champion.

“From its very beginnings, Nissan has displayed a flair for innovation and a willingness to strike out into territories unknown. This passion is what led the company to become a major player in the world automotive stage,” claims Zara. “We want our passion for innovation to be felt by our customers. We want them to rediscover that excitement they felt once when they heard the word ‘Nissan”. Through all of our efforts, we hope that we can encourage the Philippine market to rediscover Nissan.”

At the end of the day, “Rediscover Excitement Rediscover Nissan” isn’t just a milestone. It is Nissan’s way of showcasing to the public that it is truly back, and is here to stay.