Nissan TIIda News

Here are two facts. For over 60 years Nissan has been on a rollercoaster. And for the remaining six years of this decade, Nissan is set to be on a roll. Not that you’d know it with the Japanese brand’s long-term shrinking market share and – until late last year – a worthy but dull and dated core model range.

Ford sued Nissan over this ad, which showed engineer 'gangstas' rapping with a silver Ford Focus in the background. Laden with gold jewelry, slugging champagne, counting money -- and surrounded by women dancing in bikinis -- the engineers rap about raking it in by overpricing the Focus. The Portuguese lyrics translate as “All this luxury, I got with your money. Don’t cry because you’re paying extra — your money was well spent, look at the fun I have with it.” The video closes with a brief look at Nissan’s Tiida, comparing its lower price with the Focus. Ford forced Nissan to withdraw the ad on the basis of  ‘improper brand uses’ and ‘unfair competition’. And the ad itself it tasteless, which begs the question of why Nissan in Brazil would run it. Until you remember Nissan bombed in Australia with a smutty innuendo TVC for the Tiida starring 'Sex and the City' cougar Kim Cattrall. In fairness, this ad is even cheesier...

The arrival of an all-new compact Nissan at the Shanghai Motor Show next week is the trigger for a crucial decision over the car's future in Australia. The newcomer is the replacement for today's Tiida and is almost certain to become a born-again Pulsar in Australia when it lands early next year. Chinese sources say it is longer than the current model with a larger cabin, as well as the potential for a hot-hatch model with around 140   kiloWatts to rival the Mazda3 MPS. Nissan Australia refuses to comment on the new Tiida, which has a body shape with similar proportions to the recently-released Micra and a stronger commitment to cabin quality and driving enjoyment. But company chief, Dan Thompson, has said many times that he favours a return of the Pulsar badge - a small-car name to rival the Toyota Corolla - in place of the unloved Tiida name. While the Tiida-Pulsar choice is still looming, Nissan is aiming for an all-time high in Australian sales. Its showroom result in March - yet to be confirmed by official VFacts figures - is claimed as the best in the company's history. "It's the best since we withdrew from local manufacturing," says   Thompson. "We're now the fastest-growing car company in Australia. And we're   determined to keep it that way. "Our plan is to have our share up over seven per cent. The market is growing... we see it growing into the 1.1 million range with good potential for Nissan."

However, a return of the Pulsar brand is not guaranteed.  Nissan Australia boss Dan Thompson says they will conduct research to find an "appropriate name". "Pulsar has tremendous equity for Nissan but its equity is decreasing while Tiida is actually increasing," he says.  "Yet five years on Tiida still doesn't have as much equity as Pulsar. "I can assure you it (the new smal hatch and sedan) won't be called a Tiida.  "There will be multiple names available globally to pick from." The Nissan Australia managing director and CEO says the new vehicle will be one of the most important models - along with the new Micra - for stimulating sales growth. Thompson set a plan 18 months ago to become the number one full importer by the end of the 2012.  He says the new light car and coming small car will be pivotal to achieving those targets. "We have to get our dealers to start thinking about Nissan as being a light and small car company, not just SUVs and pick-ups," he says.  Apart from the new small car, next year will be a slow time for new Nissan product. "2011 will be mainly about product extension (new variants) and enhancements (facelifts and feature upgrades), particularly to Dualis and Navara," he says.  "However, the most significant extension next year will be the X-Trail 4x2."

Nissan Motor Company Australia managing director Dan Thompson says the next-generation Tiida could be known as the Pulsar. "The next generation is still several years out so it's probably too early to talk about the name," he says. "However, I understand the traction and equity of the name Pulsar. We will consider whether it is appropriate to bring back the name at that time." Pulsar debuted in Australia in 1978 and gained a legion of fans with its sporty performance in some models. However, the company changed the name to Tiida in all markets except America 2007. Critics claim the name has failed to gain market support. "There is still a lot of research that needs to happen before the next model arrives," Thompson says. "Pulsar has a high general awareness but what does it actually mean to people? Pulsar has a strong link with Nissan. There is no doubt about that." Nissan this month releases the Dualis 4x2 which is the fifth new product since January after Murano, GT-R, 370Z and Maxima. "It's been a big time for us," Thompson says. "All products have been ahead of our (sales) expectations. We have over achieved in every model." The next new model is the Z Roadster arriving in the first quarter of 2010. The next-generation Micra will arrive in early 2011 featuring a full line up of variants, possibly including a "hot" model, Thompson says. Nissan's light car has been hampered by a lack of models, being only available as a five-door auto. Despite the lack of variants, Thompson says the Micra is selling up to 500 a month. He says Nissan would not import the funky Cube, even though it is a global car. "We have looked at it but it's not right for Australia at this stage," he says. "We're very much focused on performance in our brand. So there is better product for Australia than the Cube." He says the 370Z and GT-R had "reinvented the brand as a sportscar brand". The GT-R had particularly sold well, exceeding expectations selling its 2009 allocation of 200 already. Cube is not the right fit for our brand at the moment," he says. "There is nothing I have against the Cube, but we are not interested in bringing in every model available overseas. We don't want to make the model line-up too complex." Meanwhile, Thompson says Nissan's luxury arm, Infiniti, would definitely come to Australia. "It's only a matter of time with its launch into Europe and the UK finally in right-hand drive," he says. "It's still a long way out. We will tackle it when the time is right. It's a perfect fit for Australia." Thompson says that when Infiniti launched it would include "the entire line-up" as every vehicle was now available in right-hand drive. "It is a separate brand and would be handled that way with separate dealers and administration," he says. "It's an exciting brand," says the American who worked with Infiniti in the US about seven years ago.

Even though the mean-looking CST-R did the rounds of the Sydney and Melbourne motor shows to gauge public reaction it was overshadowed by two other stars, the GT-R and new 370Z. However, Nissan Australia's brand manager, Darren Holland, says he would like to have a hotter-looking Tiida in showrooms soon. Although he is reluctant to put a date on it, he sees the CST-R as the perfect vehicle to help rev up interest in the Tiida, now in its fourth year of local sales. A small run of possibly 250 CST-Rs could lift the model until the next-generation Tiida arrives around 2012, he says. "It's certainly something we're looking at," he says. "It's on the to-do list. "We could do a couple of hundred and I think the dealers would be happy with that." Holland says some dealers are already taking matters into their own hands, doing their own tricked-up Tiidas with 17-inch wheels and bodykits. Despite the urge to resurrect the SSS name for a hotter Nissan, Holland reckons the special Tiidas would not warrant the SSS tag, a performance 2.0-litre model made popular by Nissan in the 1990s. "The SSS is a completely different style of car," he says. "We wouldn't call it the SSS." Holland also has his eye on the new Maxima, which goes on sale next month. He thinks a tricked-up Maxima will lift its image. "I think this new car is definitely a candidate," he says. "Probably more so than the previous-generation Maxima." However, Holland is not rushing into either the CST-R or a body-kitted Maxima. He wants to bed down the new Murano, GT-R, just-launched 370Z and launch the front-wheel drive Dualis later this year before looking at other potential candidates. The CST-R concept was built by Nissan's aftersales department to get some customer feedback. It grabs an array of bits and pieces from Nissan Japan's Impul accessories line. Impul versions of the Tiida, Note, Cube and Micra are popular in Japan. The CST-R received a lowered suspension, 17-inch wheels with black alloys, chrome exhaust, leather interior and Bluetooth compatibility. In Japan Impul can also chip engines for more power or fit a supercharger, however this is unlikely for Australia, Holland says. The Tiida name replaced the well-known Pulsar name when it was launched in 2006 but the small car has never sold in the numbers, nor experienced the Pulsar's popularity. Nissan moved production to Thailand and cut the entry price from $19,990 to $17,990, which has helped push sales. This year Nissan has sold 2974 Tiida sedans and hatches, down almost 11 per cent compared to last year. In its first full year on sale in 2006 11,014 were sold, compared to 17,643 Pulsars in 2005.

The Japanese factory that produces the Nissan Micra and the 350Z for Australia — and will soon send us the “Godzilla” GT-R, which has just rolled its 15 millionth car down the line.Nissan's Oppama factory reached the milestone on December 19, 46 years after it opened as Japan's first full-scale passenger car plant.Oppama was also the first to use welding robots, in 1970, and one of the earliest to introduce a mixed production line that allows different cars to be built at the same time.From 1993-1997, Oppama also produced the imported Bluebird that replaced the previous Australian-built model.It now builds seven models; March, which we get as the Micra, Cube, Cube Cubic, Tiida, Tiida Latio, Note and Bluebird Sylphy.The plant complex includes the Oppama Wharf, which handles up to 80,000 vehicles a month, as well as the Nissan Research Centre, Global Training Centre and Gran Drive proving ground.Oppama's relative closeness to Australia has been a strong factor in cutting the waiting time for local orders, Nissan Australia spokesman Jeff Fisher says.“Shipments from Japan reach us more quickly, so it shortens supply times,” he says.“And if body colour is a big factor of an order, which it is in Micra we want to be able to react to that quickly.”Oppama's location and its cost-effective production plan could also have been a contributing factor in the company reintroducing the Micra here.Even with a stable and strong dollar, Nissan Australia CEO Shinya Hannya admits the little car had only a slim profit margin.That would have been shaved further by the extra cost to ship cars from the other Micra production site in Britain.The 15-millionth car built at Oppama was a Tiida.But it is not coming to Australia because our Tiida cars are made in Thailand, and instead is being shipped to Africa.  

This year has seen the market share of Commodore, Falcon and the Mitsubishi 380 fall to 19 per cent of new passenger vehicles, with only Toyota's Camry more or less immune.And while it was the biggest sales October ever, the share enjoyed by big Australian cars was reduced to 17.2 per cent. The lighter fare from Thailand achieved a best-ever 15.4 per cent. The Vfacts monthly bulletin, released this week by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, recorded that 89,289 motor vehicles were sold in October; an increase of 9359 on the same month last year.It beats the previous record for October, set in 2004, by more than 8000 sales. Year-to-date the market is up by 70,000 vehicles as it continues its charge towards breaking the one million mark for the first time.Yet against this bumper backdrop, 15,382 Australian-made units were shifted last month, mostly to fleets.Japanese-made cars continued their dominance but Thailand is where Honda's CR-V, Civic and Accord sedans are made. These and others, including Ford's Courier, which accounted for 13,825 sales in October.In sharp contrast to ever-diminishing local sales, that Thai-built percentage has increased by almost 50 per cent so far in 2007.Petrol prices are blamed for the decline of the great Australian six-cylinder. But the fact four medium-sized SUVs sold more than 1000 units each last month gives the lie to that.Yes, light cars, spearheaded by 1193 sales of the new Mazda2, experienced a sales surge, but the truth for the big Aussies is grimmer than the rising cost of the stuff that makes them go. The fact is that given wealth of choice, fewer and fewer Australians want the types of cars made in Australia.FCAI chief executive Andrew McKellar says the locals have never had it tougher.“The intensely competitive situation in the motor-vehicle market is being driven to a significant degree by the ongoing strength of the Australian dollar,” he says. McKellar says 4400 Commodores (excluding utes) were moved last month, so with about 300 more sales than the Corolla, it is the nation's number-one seller.Toyota's eggs are in more than one basket with the ever-competitive Yaris, Camry, RAV4 and Prado prominent among its 20,212 October sales. Holden managed 11,415 and Ford 8206. It was the first time that Toyota had outsold the combined total of Holden and Ford in any single month.Year-to-date Toyota leads Holden by 71,360 with the launch of the new LandCruiser this month.If Toyota's lead is unassailable, surely the success story is Mazda.At number four, the leading full-imported marque sells not a single car to fleets or rental companies. They all go to private buyers.October's best-ever 7271 sales represented Mazda's 10th record month in a row. Mazda's year-to-date total of 64,929 already surpasses its 2006 full-year sales result of 63,664.  Snapshot   Country of originJapan 31,838Australia 15,382Thailand 13,825Korea 9830Germany 3901South Africa 2434Belgium 1525US 1448Spain 1422France 1206 The biggest sellers1 Holden Commodore (Australia) 44402 Toyota Corolla (Japan) 41233 Mazda3 (Japan) 31254 Ford Falcon (Australia) 24395 Toyota Camry (Australia) 19946 Hyundai Getz (Korea) 18967 Toyota Aurion (Australia) 18318 Mitsubishi Lancer (Japan) 14469 Honda Civic (Thailand) 140910 Honda CR-V (Thailand) 129111 Toyota RAV4 (Japan) 129312 Toyota Prado (Japan) 127313 Suzuki Swift (Japan) 119714 Mazda2 (Japan) 119315 Ford Territory (Australia) 119016 Toyota Kluger and Subaru Forester (both Japan) 117317 Holden Astra (Belgium) 111818 Mitsubishi 380 (Australia) 110019 Holden Captiva (Korea) 109320 Nissan Tiida (Thailand) 1087 

With the local car industry now at the halfway point in the 2007 sales race, it is easy to see who's winning and who's losing.Toyota is basking in the glory of not only being No.1, but also cementing its sales lead so convincingly that — barring a catastrophe — it will take out the sales crown this year.The Altona-based Japanese company is 40,404 vehicles clear of its nearest rival, Holden. It is also relishing the positive spin of the Corolla knocking off the Holden Commodore last month.But apart from Toyota, other players are also revelling in the good times.Of the importers, Mazda, Subaru, Suzuki and Peugeot managed strong June sales.Mazda sold 6932 cars, with the Mazda3 being the strongest seller on 3037.The company experienced the biggest market share gain of any importer.Its record half-yearly result is 20.3 per cent up on the same time last year, lifting market share from 6.7 per cent in 2006 to 7.5 per cent, a gain of 0.7 percentage points.Subaru's tally was 4085 for the month, with the Forester, Impreza and Liberty all breaking through 1000 sales.Suzuki, like many importers, was buoyed by keen end-of-financial year deals.It sold 2368 cars for the month, bringing its year-to-date tally to 10,910 vehicles, a 43 per cent lift over last year.Of the French, an ever-expanding Peugeot line-up continues to bolster sales, but Renault flops around due to a lack of new product.Peugeot sold 1016 vehicles last month, bringing its year-to-date run-rate to 4549, a 13 per cent lift over last year. The 307 continues to be Peugeot's best seller.By contrast, Renault has a year-to-date total of 1431 vehicles, 32 cars fewer than last year.Even Saab experienced some solid growth, albeit off a low base, as the 9-3 turbodiesel helped lift the marque's appeal.Saab sold 336 cars last month, its best month for 10 years, taking its year-to-date tally to 1148, a 170 per cent lift over last year.The X-Trail, Tiida and Navara continue to drive Nissan sales. The Japanese importer sold 5845 vehicles last month with 31,176 year-to-date, a 20 per cent lift over last year.The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries monthly Vfacts figures show that most of the extra volume last month was generated by the light, small and medium car segments.A breakdown of large car sales shows that Holden sold 5588 Commodores last month, Ford 3206 Falcons, Toyota 2626 Aurions and Mitsubishi just 877 380 V6s.All three were eclipsed by the new four-cylinder Corolla, which secured 5890 sales.But a finer look at the figures shows that much of the Corolla's success was down to fleet purchases and pent-up demand for the new car, which spiked figures.But a sale is a sale. Holden's own figures point out that 29 per cent of VE Commodores are bought by private buyers, as opposed to 18.6 per cent for the VT Commodore.Apart from the Corolla, other small car stars were the Mitsubishi Lancer with 2143 sales, Holden Astra 1763 and Ford Focus 1550.Of the tiddlers, Toyota again ruled last month. The Yaris managed 2926 sales against 2486 for the Hyundai Getz, 1361 for the Kia Rio, 1351 for the Suzuki Swift and 1392 for the Honda Jazz.Despite the dominance of the light, small and medium segments, large cars were up 3.7 per cent in June and, in year-to-date terms, are running 5.1 per cent ahead of last year.However, Ford's overall market share has slipped 2 per cent and Holden's by almost 1 per cent, despite its Korean strategy, which was hoping to deliver an increased share.Mitsubishi is a bit stronger, experiencing a 0.6 per cent overall drop in share and, despite Toyota's increasing sales, its share has increased by only about 0.6 per cent.One of the more interesting results was for the Ford Fairlane.Ford sold 149 Fairlanes, bolstered by the news that the long-wheelbase sedan will be axed at the end of the year.Dealers are also reporting a slight pick-up in interest for the car from fleets.Overall, the year-to-date sales figure of 524,376 means that a record 1 million market is likely by December.   Top 10 makes  1 Toyota 24,5392 Holden 14,2563 Ford 10,3044 Mitsubishi 81945 Mazda 69326 Nissan 58457 Honda 57508 Hyundai 50239 Subaru 408510 Volkswagen 2848 Top 10 models1 Toyota Corolla 58902 Holden Commodore 55883 Toyota HiLux 42494 Ford Falcon 32065 Mazda3 30376 Toyota Yaris 29267 Toyota Camry 26458 Toyota Aurion 26269 Hyundai Getz 248610 Mitsubishi Lancer 2143 

The show, which opens on Friday, will feature the Australian debut of several models at the affordable end of the car world.Leading the way, Holden is expected to take the "top secret" covers off the Epica, its next lower-priced, mid-size sedan.The Korean-made Epica — tipped by dealers to start at $24,990, with the choice of two six-cylinder engines — replaces the European-made Vectra.The Epica will fit into the Holden line-up alongside the Barina and Viva, budget-priced Korean replacements for models previously designed and built in Europe.Malaysian brand Proton will launch its second-generation Satria Neo three-door hatchback in the city that has been its strongest Australian market.The Satria Neo, with a 1.6 litre engine, looks chunkier than its predecessor and will be $18,990 drive away.Honda will unveil a fresh-design CR-V all-wheel-drive wagon, with prices expected to start near $30,000.Nissan's compact Tiida model, given a $2000 price cut to start at $17,990, is expected to attract budget-minded shoppers. Like the Honda CR-V, production of the Tiida has been moved from Japan to Thailand.Continuing the price-down trend, Suzuki's new face will be the SX4, a 2.0 litre all-wheel-drive wagon that officially goes on sale on Thursday, priced from $24,990. It had been expected to be $26,990.French brand Peugeot will use the show for the Queensland unveiling of its new small car, the near-$20,000 207, about to go on sale with 1.4 litre, 1.6 litre and 1.6 litre turbo petrol engines, and a 1.6 litre diesel.The show, at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Bank, runs from Friday to February 11. It is open noon-10pm on weekdays, 10am-10pm on Saturdays and 10am- 6pm on Sundays. Admission is $16 for adults, $10 for children, and $42 for a family (two adults, three children).