Nissan’s rise in the Philippine market isn’t done yet. After strengthening its hold in the industry as the third best-selling automotive brand, Nissan says 2022 will even be a bigger year.
During their official presidential turnover ceremony, newly installed Nissan Philippines president and general manager Juan Manuel Hoyos says he plans to continue the brand’s strong momentum in the country.
To recall, under the last year of Atsushi Najima’s presidency, Nissan Philippines launched five new or refreshed models: the Navara, Terra, Almera, Patrol, and Leaf. This has resulted in the country’s youngest line-up of vehicles, and a continued resurgence of the brand.
This year, Hoyos says the brand is planning to bring in six new or refreshed models. Naturally, no details were mentioned as specifics will be revealed closer to the launch date.
With that, it’s time to speculate what vehicles Nissan Philippines could bring into the country.
Two of these are actually pretty obvious: the Nissan Kicks e-Power and the all-new Nissan Z.
The Kicks e-Power was already displayed, albeit in camouflaged form, at the Manila International Auto Show last April. Built in Thailand, it could be the first vehicle to come with e-Power technology. e-Power differs from traditional hybrids or purely electric vehicles in that the system uses the gasoline engine solely as a power generator. This is then connected to an inverter, a battery, and an electric motor which drives the wheels.
Proving that the launch of the 370Z wasn’t just a one-time thing, Nissan will also bring in the all-new Nissan Z before the end of the year. The long-delayed model is the latest-generation of the brand’s two-seater sportscar. Now equipped with a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 putting out 405 horsepower and 475 Nm of torque, Nissan is expected to continue with their “affordable” price point meaning it could potentially be priced starting at below P 3-million. It will go against the likes of the upcoming Toyota GR86, Subaru BRZ, Mazda MX-5, and to some extent, the Ford Mustang.
The remaining four vehicles are far less obvious, so these candidates are long shots at best. We figured though that for Nissan to cast a wider net, they could potentially bring in the all-new X-Trail, Pathfinder, Ariya, and refreshed Urvan.
The fourth-generation X-Trail has been out in the global market for quite some time, but that’s limited to just a few key markets such as the United States and China. The X-Trail could receive Nissan’s Variable Compression Turbo or VC-Turbo engine. The Variable Compression Turbo can vary compression ratios for high efficiency or high performance. If Nissan decides to bring in the 1.5-liter unit, it’s good for 204 horsepower and 300 Nm of torque. On the other hand, Nissan Philippines could be biding their time and wait for the launch of the X-Trail e-Power which is slated to be globally unveiled sometime this year.
Meanwhile, the Pathfinder could be Nissan’s answer in the high-end three-row crossover segment currently dominated by the likes of the Mazda CX-9, Ford Explorer, Subaru Evoltis, and the semi-dead Hyundai Palisade. Sourced from the United States, the Pathfinder may slot in just below the Patrol in the local line-up. Globally, it only comes with one engine and that’s a normally-aspirated 3.5-liter V6 mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission. It also has an 8-seater capacity (versus its competitors’ seven).
If Nissan Philippines wants to continue with their electrification strategy, it’s highly likely that they’ll consider looking into bringing the Ariya SUV to complement the Leaf. The Ariya features “Timeless Japanese Futurism” design backed up by a bespoke EV platform, and a twin electric motor system. It’s capable of a century sprint faster than a 370Z and could have a range topping out at 610 kilometers—almost twice that of the Leaf. Pricing would be the Ariya’s limiting factor given it already starts at P 2.5 million in Japan. This would likely keep it as a niche flagship—perhaps priced in the P 4-million to P 5-million range. But hey, it’s still cheaper than other high-end EVs like the Audi e-Tron SUV, BMW iX, or Jaguar I-PACE.
Finally, there’s the Urvan. The oldest vehicle in the local line-up, the Urvan will likely get a refresh this year which could give it a new grille, bumpers, and headlights. It could also benefit from a more modern interior. In Japan, it gets new instrumentation, a D-shaped steering wheel, and Nissan’s famed Zero Gravity seats. It also gets a suite of safety system upgrades as well that include autonomous emergency braking and a camera-based rearview mirror.
Do you think we got this list right, or is there any other vehicle you’d wish Nissan Philippines to bring in locally?
Would love they bring in the Nissan Serena (the all new 2023 incoming model). Hopefully with the e-power and priced below p2m 🙏✝️💖
ReplyDeleteHoping they bring back the Sentra nameplate. unfortunately, compact car market isn't what it used to be so this is really wishful thinking...
ReplyDeleteIf they can really price the base Z below 3M that will be awesome ☺️
ReplyDeleteYou hate Ford but you patronize a company that sells crappy unreliable CVTs. A hypocrite and a poser.
DeleteHi Fan ☺️
DeleteAt least never had a HORRIBLE experience with Nissan
Unlike Ford - A schemer.
Ford knew how crappy their DCT was - and yet they launched it:
https://www.carguide.ph/2019/07/internal-documents-show-ford-knew-that.html?m=1
Grossly over promised on their fuel consumption claims:
https://www.mckenzielake.com/ford-fuel/
And may favorite - the ecoBOMB engine problems, countless links to share here, but there is a prominent fb page for this you can check out.
DONT BUY FORD
Horrible experience daw pero wala naman siyang Ford. Kapal mukha, sinungaling.
DeleteSuch an emotional and hateful response done on a midnight. Dude, do not let the fact that Ford sucks consume you. Ford does not care about your feelings.
DeleteI also don't give a rat's ass about ford. What pisses me off are posers that pretend they own cars just so they can talk s**t about it. Sabay sa uso lang. Kala mo naman nakasubok talaga mag ford.
DeleteFord sucks. Big time 🙂
DeleteAn online account was able to piss you off? Too much emotions against someone who couldn't care less about you? Flattering and I kinda was enjoying it, but not worth it dude. Chill lang ☺️
DeleteDid you miss to mention Kicks and Magnite? There are not many Nissan model options to offer to PH. But it is missing a number of competitors in higher volume segments here.
ReplyDeleteThe Kicks was mentioned in the story. As for the Magnite...it's possible. If that were the case, we'd be the first LHD country to get it. Slim changes, but Nissan could use the Magnite to boost its sales.
Delete*chances
Delete*chance (auto correct)
Deleteare they still making juke? love the looks, would be great if they update it or offer an all new one, lot of filipinos loved that and i still see a lot on the road
ReplyDeleteif they do bring in the Kicks, it might replace the Juke...
DeleteThe Juke is still around:
Deletehttps://www.carguide.ph/2019/09/the-2020-nissan-juke-gets-turbocharged.html
However, it's only limited to the European market. There is a chance that Nissan PH would bring it in side-by-side with the Kicks, but it's more likely that they'll simply bring in the Kicks in both e-Power and non-e-Power versions rather than launch two similarly sized crossovers at two different price points.
thats understandable, ty
DeleteGoodluck Nissan on your new products coming in. Excited to see the next gen 370z. Hoping the government to make laws and help car manufacturers to be able to sell their ev's cheaper that will entice people to buy electric cars.
ReplyDeleteThe Kicks e-power is long overdue already. By the time it arrives in the Philippines, a facelift might launch overseas LOL
ReplyDelete