Exclusive Interview with Nissan’s LCV Boss Tony Lewis
Nissan will have a bigger push in the LCV market with its new van according to new boss Tony Lewis. Lewis is the LCV Sales and Marketing Director in the UK – his background has seen him head LDV and prior to this he worked at Ford.
Lewis confirmed: “The concept vehicle displayed at the Hannover Motor Show will form the base of what will be the Nissan NV200. Our new LCV will be launched next year and it will compete against the Citroen Berlingo, Ford Transit Connect and Renault Kangoo. Cargo and loadspace on the NV200 will be unique. We are looking for driver and storage solutions to be best in class.”
The NV200 is a sole global Nissan product sole as Renault has introduced the Kangoo onto its range.
At launch the NV200 will be euro 4 compliant and then euro5. The NV200 will replace the Kubistar as it is on run-out and with it on the way out there was a gap to fill in the market. Nissan are taking the mecano approach with its portfolio – taking things off some and adding to others. The NV200 will be “Good to Go” from launch which means customers could have a refrigeration system for example on the new van.
Lewis added: “Nissan are answering what people are looking for. We will be focusing on load, operating costs and environmentally friendliness. All makers are looking to improve their carbon footprint and we are no different – we want to be the LCV maker with the smallest carbon footprint in the industry.”
Lewis went on to say: “We will not do any business that damages the brand. Nissan will build solid sustainable profitable business. We are also looking at dedicated dealers in Northern Ireland. We need to fill gaps and develop specialist dealers, there is a need for a few to specialise. There’s between 70 and 80 in the network – this means more people will get to see the product. The strategy wasn’t wrong – we are just going to expand on it somewhat.”
Lewis went on to talk about the Cabstar and the NP300: “We will focus on public sector and some road construction projects with the Cabstar and NP300. The Cabstar is an urban delivery workhorse so this is why we have made it the first hybrid on our LCV range. This will stretch the fuel benefits for fleets. It’s an iconic van and it has been a real success in the home delivery market. Supermarket fleets have grown and have driven demand for the Cabstar since 2001 and already there have been expressions of interest on the new Cabstar.”
Lewis concluded: There is a raft of product coming within the 2012 horizon. It’s a fantastic time at Nissan – and nice to be involved in such a vibrant environment. We aim to sell 6,000 vehicles this year – hold that number for next year and then the aim is to sell 15,000 vehicles by 2012. The NV200 will grow the brands numbers while the Cabstar and the NP300 will have solid staying power.”
Simon McBride
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