EDITION 129 (2012/03/12)

News and Views

NISSAN ACHIEVES HIGHEST EVER FEBRUARY MARKET SHARE IN EUROPE

Following a record-breaking 2011, Nissan has made an even stronger start to 2012 and last Thursday announced its highest ever February market share in Europe to go with encouraging sales in South Africa in the first two months of the year..
In a market that was down around 4%, Nissan increased sales by 5.5% to 56 733 units resulting in a 4.1% share of the overall European market.  At this month’s Geneva Motor Show Nissan announced that the company aimed to be the top-selling Asian brand in Europe by 2013 or 2014.
This strong performance was supported by Nissan's ongoing dominance of the popular crossover segment with sales of the UK-built Qashqai and Juke, together with Murano, accounting for 55% of the monthly total.
During the Geneva Motor Show, Nissan revealed its vision for a next generation vehicle that could further expand its crossover range in the form of the innovative and eye-catching Hi-Cross HEV concept.
Top-performing markets in February included Russia where sales increased 37% to more than 15 000 units resulting in a 7.5% share of the market - rising to nearly 9% among foreign manufacturers.
Nissan recently announced the all-new Almera sedan - developed exclusively for the Russian market - will go into production in Togliatti from November this year.
The UK also saw a significant 72% increase in year-on-year sales for February with France up 11%.
Nissan has also confirmed that a car based on the INVITATION concept will go into production at the Sunderland Plant in the UK from mid-2013.  As well as creating 2 000 new jobs, this model will be one of the most technologically-advanced and stylish cars to compete in the mainstream B-segment and add to the significant number of vehicles Nissan already builds in Europe.

QASHQAI WINS TOPCAR BEST BUY AWARD

The Nissan Qashqai has won the 2012 Compact SUV/MPV category in TopCar magazine’s prestigious annual competition.  The April issue of the magazine features all the category winners and finalists, with the Nissan GT-R and Nissan Juke both included among the finalists in their categories.

MARKETING NEWS

Nissan National Half Marathon - Wellington

 
This popular race will again be co sponsored by Nissan SA and Droomers Nissan will showcase vehicles and man a watering point. Our friendly sales staff will be available to answer all your Nissan questions. Details of the event are as follows:
 
Date: 25/26 August 2012
Venue: Diemersfontein wine & country estate, Wellington, WP S 33 39 33.7 | E 19 00 15.8
Terrain: Fynbos | Rocky | Vineyard's
Elevation: 341m | Ascent: 2900m (ultra) 1850m (75km)
Participants: 1800+
Features: Single tracks | Dams | Old Cape-Epic Routes
Registration: Fri 24/08 14:00-21:00 & Sat 25/08 06h30 - 16h00 & Sun 26/08 06h30 - 08h30
 
This event takes place on farm roads and jeep tracks heading away from Diemersfontein, through the vineyards and farms of Wellington, crossing the Bainskloof Pass road and heading towards Groenberg Mountain. The well-balanced, fast route is jam-packed with beautiful views, fynbos, historic farmsteads, stream crossings and vineyard settings, passing many of the local award-winning cellars. Expect fast flowing single track, technically within reach of everyone.
 
The Wellington Tourism & Wine Route of the Western Cape in South Africa is today a major tourist attraction. Nestling at the foot of the Groenberg, the historic town of Wellington lies in a picturesque valley on the banks of the Kromme River with the majestic Hawequa Mountains standing guard on its eastern border. Wellington, in the heart of the Boland and rich in cultural, religious and educational history, is an unsurpassed area to enjoy the winelands and scenery of the Western Cape in South Africa
 
The beauty of the area is best viewed either by foot, horse, bicycle or by car to take in the scenery of nature, fynbos, wine, olives and the historical buildings to name but a few. The pass up to Bain's Kloof winds through pine tree plantations, to the summit where on a clear day you can see a vast area, consisting of the Swartland to the left, home of the extensive wheat fields, the Cape Flats and Cape Town to the right, and the sun glimmering on the sea.
 
Diemersfontein is known for its beauty, informal elegance, and grace - an idyllic country destination only 45 minutes' drive from Cape Town and is situated near the Cape's famous Wine Routes. We warmly invite you to share with us the tranquil spirit of Diemersfontein - whether you are conferencing here, marrying here, staying for a few days of leisure (or even permanently) - or taking some of it home in a bottle!
 
We will also have a 5km kiddies ride in the venue so bring along your kids to the event, they will have a ball!
 
 
For more information, please visit www.advendurance.co.za
 

Nissan Easter Festival

Nissan is proud to once again sponsor the 2012 Easter Festival, an equestrian calendar highlight from which we have derived enormous pleasure since our first involvement in 2010.
The event takes place at Kyalami Equestrian Park, 1 Dahlia Road, Kyalami from April 6 to 9, where our extensive range of vehicles will again be on display and available for test drives at the Nissan Drive Station, located in the Bernard McHardy Arena.  Comfortable seating and a DStv broadcast will be available for the sports enthusiasts.
Besides our test drive station, a variety of show jumping, dressage and equitation events and competitions will take place as well as the ever-popular Nutriphase Animal Carnival.  Also on offer will be an assortment of stalls as well as camel and pony rides and a kiddies’ fun fair.
Entrance is free, so bring along your family and friends for an Equestrian Easter Experience.

For more information please visit: www.nissan.co.za and click on the Nissan Easter Festival banner.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Nissan North America has earned the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2012 ENERGY STAR® Sustained Excellence Award. The award recognises continued leadership in protecting the environment through energy efficiency.  The EPA will recognise Nissan’s accomplishments at an awards ceremony in Washington, DC on Thursday.  An ENERGY STAR partner since 2006, Nissan is honoured for its continued commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy management. The 2012 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award recognises Nissan’s continued commitment to smart energy management, the company’s ability to measure and track progress, and its efforts to communicate the importance of energy efficiency to a wide audience.

Nissan has revealed a head-turning hatchback concept previewing the company's vision for an all-new compact car to be launched in 2013.  Called INVITATION, the dynamic concept car was unveiled last week at the Geneva Motor Show by Nissan Executive Vice President, Andy Palmer, who announced a production version will be launched at Nissan's Sunderland Plant in the UK next year.  The model will be built alongside the highly popular Juke crossover and will compete within the core mainstream B-segment.

Juke, the compact crossover that has single-handedly created an entirely new sector of the market, will be the first Nissan to be turned into a premium sports model. The Nissan Juke Nismo will bring motor sport-inspired performance to the street.  Previewed as a concept at the Geneva Motor Show, the production version of the Juke Nismo promises more energy, more excitement and more innovation. The car will be built at Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK in Sunderland alongside other members of the Juke family with sales in Europe due to start towards the end of the year.  Detailed specification will be released closer to launch, but the Juke Nismo will combine edgy crossover styling with a choice of two technically advanced chassis, one with two-wheel drive and the other featuring four-wheel drive and torque vectoring. Both will have revised suspension settings.