Nissan wants to be known for more than just the cold aircon. That’s the gist of what Daniele Schillaci, Executive Vice-President for Global Marketing and Sales, Zero Emission Vehicle and Battery Business had to say during a media round table that closed the all-new Leaf launch program in Japan. Nissan wants to become a technology leader, a push they’re doing even for the Philippine market.

Seeing Nissan Philippines’s continued sales rise (it’s up 40 percent year-on-year thus far) and having been to Manila himself, Schillaci says that Nissan is excited to bring more components of Intelligent Mobility into the country. The first product to benefit from this move is the refreshed 2018 Nissan X-Trail which is debuting in the next few days. Although it’s not going to offer the same level of autonomy as seen in the Leaf, it’s going to offer more technology “for a more confident drive.”


Questioned about Nissan’s plan to introduce EVs into the market, Schillaci went said that while the Philippines may not be ready for pure electric vehicles (EVs) just yet, he thinks the country is at the right time for electrification. Citing the country’s strong economy and population clustered in dense cities, Nissan may first bring in the Note e-Power in.

Previewed at the ASEAN EV and Hybrid Vehicles Summit last June, the Note e-Power uses the lessons learned from the Leaf. It’s unique in that it uses a full-electric motor drive system that drives the front wheels, but uses a small gasoline engine (HR12DE) for the sole purpose of power generation. The engine has, in fact, no influence on the throttle pedal operation allowing the engine to always operate in an optimal manner. With 254 Nm of torque, performance is said to be comparable to that of a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine but can deliver up to 34 km/L. It also removes the so-called “range anxiety” since the gasoline generator can be filled up at any petrol station.



Schillaci believes that products such as the Note e-Power will help speed up the electrification process globally because this can be rolled out to markets without heavy investments in charging infrastructure. His statement is echoed by Nissan Philippines President and Managing Director Ramesh Narasimhan who said that the company is studying the possibility of bringing in the Note e-Power into the Philippines.

“The Note e-Power is a very strong product for Nissan selling around 14,000 units per month in Japan alone. I believe it’ll do well in the Philippine setting as well given the constant traffic and densely populated cities,” Narasimhan said.

Both Schillaci and Narasimhan said though that for Nissan to carry out electrification, a concrete action plan must be in place first. Both said separately that government incentives, monetary or otherwise, must be in place to make vehicles such as the Leaf and Note e-Power more readily accepted.

“We are considering to operate EVs like the Leaf initially in small enclosed communities such as airports or villages. And then, we can also look at expanding this to smaller metropolitan areas like Davao or Cebu before rolling it out to Metropolitan Manila,” said Narasimhan.


Nissan believes that EVs is the future and that they will offer an even stronger electrified line-up in the near future. For one, they are keeping an open door to produce either an electric or e-Power crossover, or maybe even both. Though nothing has been signed off just yet, it’s a logical move given the Japanese automaker’s strong DNA in producing SUVs and crossovers.

“We sold 5.62 million units globally last year with just three brands and thus we have a big ship to steer,” he said. “But as the production cost of EVs equal that of the internal combustion engine, there is no reason for people not to consider an electrified car and we believe this can come as early as 2025,” closed Schillaci.

If Nissan Philippines does bring in the Note e-Power for around P 1,052,000 (close to its price in Japan), will you consider trading in your compact sedan for one?