Nissan South Africa is planning an entry-level vehicle and it is likely to be built locally.
Nissan South Africa is planning a vehicle for the entry-level market and it is likely to be built locally.
Nissan has not previously competed in the small-car market because its local holding company, Automakers, owned the Fiat franchise in South Africa. Nissan’s entry-level vehicles would have competed directly with Fiat’s small cars like the Uno and Palio.
But a new company, Fiat Auto SA, was established in January 1998. It is now responsible for the importation and distribution locally of all Fiat Auto and Alfa Romeo products.
Mike Whitfield, Nissan’s vice-president of marketing, told that the manufacturer was planning to enter the small-car market by 2004. Nissan’s cheapest car is the Almera, which sells for about R118 000.
Whitfield said its entry-level vehicles would have to be made locally to operate in this segment.
He said it would remain to be seen if the vehicle would be exported. “It all comes down to economics and it has to be a volume product,” he said. Whitfield said Nissan would export more than 6 000 fully built-up vehicles this year, the bulk of them into other African countries.
He said Nissan SA intended to export one million alloy wheels next year, with about 90 per cent set for Nissan’s plant in the United States.