“The world is moving fast towards electrification. I feel that electrification is not taking a step-by-step pace and is accelerating at a fast rate,” said Nissan President and Chief Executive Officer Makoto Uchida at a press conference at the Tokyo Mobility Show recently.
“This is where we are seeing Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) strongly entering various markets. Therefore we need to transform ourselves. Once we are ready, we will explain our strategies for each region. It’s an opportunity and potential that we had to deliver,” he added.
“Nissan has vast experience in EVs. We have one million units of EVs sold in the market.
We know what the customers want and behaviour in each market. Nissan is in the pipeline to introduce affordable-size EVs in the A segment in the future. I do understand that the Chinese EVs are coming up strongly. We are prepared and ready to show our new vehicle line in the regions.”
Asked about the popular Nissan sportcars and the GTR, Uchida said, “GTR, I love it. It’s a beautiful car. Nissan has the Z, Ariya and we have many varieties of E-Power and EVs. We put in so many efforts to meet customer’s choice. We want to provide variety to customers.
Today we are showcasing concept cars and for us, GTR and Z represent the company and the character of Nissan.”
Meanwhile, Nissan’s ASEAN President Isao Sekiguchi in a separate press conference disclosed, “Normally when we create a product, we have a tendency to focus on some of the leading markets and not all countries that has the marketability.
“This is one thing we are now fixing internally. If there is customer demand, we will try to see all the opportunities. Therefore, for all the new models being introduced in the future, we will try to consider the marketability. The size of the country doesn’t matter, what
“One of the key factors in popularising EVs in the ASEAN region is government policies. In Thailand, and Indonesia, there has been a clear incentive to roll out EVs. EVs penetration in Singapore has reached 20 per cent. Thailand is hitting 10 per cent in the total industry volume. Therefore you can see how policies were played as a computation of incentive.”
He added, “I thought that it will take some time for EVs to breakthrough in Thailand due to the lack of infrastructure. There are only 2,000 chargers available in the country. However EVs penetration has already hit 10 per cent. This means its customer can own EVs even if the infrastructure in not ready across the country. During an internal survey, about 95 per cent of EVs owners charge at home and drive less than 100 kilometres per day. You get the sense that with incentive, customers are willing to purchase an EV even though the infrastructure is not ready. Therefore infrastructure readiness is not a prerequisite condition for EVs to be successful and Thailand has proven this.”
The strategy for Nissan mission 2023, he said “is EVs and e-Power”.
E-Power is Nissan’s unique electric-drive powertrain that integrates a gasoline engine and motor. Since the engine only generates electricity and the system is 100 per cent driven by a high-output motor, it is possible to enjoy the driving experience of an EVs.
Sekiguchi said, “Once an individual experiences driving an EV or e-Power, more than 70 per cent will not be going back to the conventional gasoline engine for their second purchase. We believe that e-Power is a transition technology but can also be a choice between EV and e-Power. “
During an interview, Nissan’s ASEAN President said, “Brunei is a very interesting market and we do have a good line up of car models for Brunei. It is our challenge to make more affordable EVs and also an opportunity for us to go forward.”
During the Japan Mobility Show 2023, Nissan launched the fun, innovative and striking all-electric concept cars which are Nissan Hyper Force, Nissan Hyper Punk, Nissan Hyper Tourer, Nissan Hyper Urban and Nissan Hyper Adventure.
Borneo Bulletin was invited by Boustead Sdn Bhd (main distributor of Nissan cars in Brunei) to the Tokyo Mobility Show 2023 press conference in Japan which was also attended by global media. – James Kon
