Global company, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., has taken the lead of managing the automotive brand in the Philippines by introducing Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI) as its national sales company at its launch held today in Paranaque City. With the new structure, the company still recognizes Nissan Motor Philippines, Inc. (NMPI) and Universal Motors Corporation (UMC) as their important partners in the Philippines, as both continue to assemble Nissan vehicles for the Filipino market.
The fundamental role of the new company will be to strengthen the branding, marketing and sales strategy, and dealer operations. Likewise, NPI intends to reinforce its brand and sales power by broadening the product lineup and intensifying sales and services across the nation.
At the helm of NPI is Kenji Naito, who serves as the company’s president and managing director. Naito has been with Nissan for 29 years, and has held key positions in various markets including Japan, South Africa, New Zealand and Thailand. Prior to his current post, Naito served as CEO of Nissan Korea Co., Ltd in Seoul Korea.
Along with the launch of the new company, the brand also launched two new models: the Sylphy and the Altima.
The Sylphy replaces the Nissan Sentra, which was the company’s model in the compact sedan category. It features an elegant and sophisticated design with class-leading comfort. It will be powered by a 1.8L MRA8DE and 1.6L HR160E engine matched with a new-generation Nissan Xtronic CVT with sub-planetary gear to deliver powerful and smooth driving. The new Nissan Sylphy 1.6L HR160E also comes in Manual Transmission. The Thai-built Sylphy is priced at PHP 812,000 for the Base 1.6L MT, PHP 915,000 for the 1.6L Upper CVT, and PHP 998,000 1.8L Upper CVT.
The Altima, on the other hand, replaces the Nissan Teana – the brand’s flagship automobile and executive sedan. Built at Nissan’s facilities in the United States of America, the introduction of the new Altima is set to raise the bar and elevate customers’ expectations from a midsize 4-door premium sedan when it comes to styling, unequalled comfort, dynamic performance, fuel efficiency, innovative features and vehicle safety. At the heart of the new Nissan Altima will be two, advanced and class-leading engines: the 2.5 liter, twin-cam 16-valve 4 cylinder QR25DE engine that powers the Altima SV variant, and the 3.5 liter V6 with dual overhead cam 24-valve VQ35DE engine. Both engines are matched with next-generation Nissan Xtronic CVT. The variable transmission assures the driver and passengers of a smooth ride and drive at city and highway speeds. The new Nissan Altima is available at PHP 1,650,000 for the new Altima 2.5L SV CVT and PHP 2,030,000 for the new Altima 3.5L SL CVT.