Cebu market helped in Nissan’s growth, says NPI president

Nissan Philippines Inc. president and managing director Ramesh Narasimhan speaks before the media during his recent visit to Cebu to open two new dealerships.
CDN photo/Brian J. Ochoa

SINCE the birth of Nissan Philippines Inc. (NPI) in late 2013, the Japanese automaker has seen a drastic improvement in its sales in the country.

And according to NPI president and managing director Ramesh Narasimhan, the Cebu market has played a key role in the growth of the company in the past three years.

“Cebu has been an important part of our growth story,” Narasimhan said during a press conference after the launch of Nissan Cebu South of the Gateway Group in Talisay City last month. “There are segments where we are offering products where Cebu has contributed quite a lot in terms of our growth. We have a very strong presence in Cebu.”

According to Narasimhan, the strong performance of the dealerships, like the one being run by the Gateway Group here in Cebu, is the reason why the Nissan brand has been more visible lately.

“Nissan has had a substantial growth. Our dealers have helped us grow,” he said. “We’ve had a 134 percent growth in last two years and 48 percent growth last year. The Philippines is really a hot market for us.”

And Nissan has no plans of easing up its drive in the country.

“Our objective is to grow more than the growth of the market,” Narasimhan said.

In Cebu, the top performers for Nissan are the Almera subcompact sedan, the Navara NP300 pickup truck and the NV350 Urvan, according to Markane Goho, president of Gateway Group.

“We lead a number of segments in Cebu. Like we’re no. 1 in the pickup segment with the Navara. And the Almera, too,” Narasimhan said.

The Nissan Cebu South also has a satellite dealership at the SM Seaside City Cebu.

Aside from the Gateway Group, there are two other Nissan dealerships in Cebu. One is the Nissan Cebu Distributors Inc. in Maguikay, Mandaue City and the other is the newly opened Nissan Cebu Central along A. Soriano Avenue at the North Reclamation Area in Cebu City.