Nissan PH president still believes in sedans

Anton Andres / Autoindustriya.com | October 26, 2018 14:45

Sedans and crossovers can coexist, says Nissan PH president

If you take a look at this year’s displays at the Philippine International Motor Show, there were loads of SUVs and crossovers. There weren’t a lot of all-new sedans shown at the exhibits, and you can easily count the number of four-doors on the floor. Will it spell the decline of the sedan in the Philippines?

If you ask Nissan Philippines Incorporated president, Ramesh Narasimhan, he disagrees. In fact, he still believes in the traditional sedan as a sales mover in the country. “Yes, globally, there is a rising demand for crossovers. But there are still customers who still prefer a sedan. You have to find the right balance. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. Sedans and crossovers can co-exist,” said Narasimhan.

He then pointed out the Juke and the Almera. The two products sit in the B-segment and, despite the vastly different body styles, sales have been good. To this day, the Almera and the Juke are still pulling in significant figures for the company. He also mentioned the all-new Altima, which made its debut earlier this year. By the looks of things, it appears Nissan is still committed to rolling out good old four-door sedans.

Narasimhan didn’t mention if the 2019 Altima will arrive in the country, but he is firm on Nissan Philippines Inc. offering sedans in the years to come. As it stands, the local range consists of three sedans, each of them in a different size class. The Almera competes in the B-segment or subcompact class, while the Sylphy sits in the C-segment or compact class. As for the Altima, we still have the 2016 version, which saw a significant facelift that year. That model is firmly set in the D-segment or midsize sedan class.