Nissan banks on Terra PPV for double-digit share
NISSAN hopes its newly-introduced Terra PPV (Pickup Passenger Vehicle) will help the company achieve its target of reaching a double-digit share in the Thai market by year 2022.
Nissan Motor Thailand (NMT) Co Ltd president Antoine Barthes said at the launch of the new model in Bangkok yesterday that the Terra, which is based on the Navara pickup truck platform, will attract a large number of new customers.
“The Terra is a new product to take us to a new area of the market,” he said. “We (Nissan) is coming with a 'striking proposal' for our customers with a vehicle that is perfect in the city and outside."
While Nissan already has the X-Trail, a SUV targeted at families with young children and priced above Bt1 million, the Terra will appeal to those looking for a higher level of adventure.
The Terra is priced at Bt1.316 million for the 2.3 V 7AT, Bt1.349 million for the 2.3 VL 7AT and Bt1.427 million for the 2.3 VL 4WD 7AT.
It comes with many of advanced Nissan Intelligent Mobility System features, such as lane departure warning, blind spot warning and intelligent around view mirror with moving object detection.
Though the Terra made its debut in the Philippines with a model fitted with a 2.5-litre diesel turbo engine with 190hp and 450Nm, the Thai-spec Terra comes with an all-new 2.3-litre twin turbo diesel engine that produces the same power and torque, but lower fuel consumption and emissions.
Nissan's combined production capacity in Thailand is 370,000 units per year. Apart from the Philippines and Thailand, the new model will also be offered in Indonesia and other Asean markets including Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
However, exports of the PPV could reach other markets, including Australia where Nissan already offers the Navara pickup truck from its Thai production hub.
“We already export the Navara to Australia and is looking at the possibilities for Terra,” he said. “Thailand is our production and export centre because of its high capability.”
In Thailand, Nissan also plans to introduce the LEAF electric car this fiscal year as well as the Note e-Power, which is an electric car that uses a gasoline-powered electric generator.