From Leaf to GT-R, Nissan Has Thai Market Covered

Nissan arrives at the Bangkok International Motor Show in upbeat form as the fastest-growing mass-market brand on the Thai market, which has abruptly reversed a steady decline in sales.

The Japanese automaker is looking to build on that recent growth and aggressively push ahead with introducing electric vehicles in Thailand, convinced its latest recent market research, which has slightly surprised local analysts, indicates the time is right to put EVs into the market.

The Leaf will kick this off when it arrives in showrooms later this year.

But its bullish outlook on EVs is only part of Nissan’s story in Thailand. It’s also introducing the range-topping GT-R, the first time the 565-hp sports car will have been sold through the official dealer network. Until now it has been left to the gray market to meet local demand.

There are several reasons for launching the GT-R in Thailand, but primarily it’s about boosting the brand’s image.

The automaker has a “twofold objective,” Nissan Thailand President Antoine Barthes says during the launch press conference. “To showcase our knowhow and technical skills, and secondly it will help build up the brand in Thailand. The car can be used as a halo car for the entire range.”

Barthes also sees the time is right. “The super sports car segment growing rapidly in Thailand,” he says. “Taxation has just changed, which will help. The gray market will be reduced significantly due to new changes.”

Offering the GT-R “shows the importance of the Thai market and Thailand” to Nissan, he says, adding the automaker will look at introducing other niche models, reversing its longtime reliance on locally assembled high-volume models to fill out the range.

In a nod to a growing trend, Barthes says the GT-R will be sold through specially branded dealers to ensure customer service and satisfaction meets the highest standards.

While the GT-R may be a niche product, the brand arrives at the auto show amid a sales surge that began in 2017 and has continued into this year.

Last year was “a very positive and strong performance when we grew share from 5.6% to 6.9%,” Barthes says. “We have good hopes to maintain it. We should achieve a bit more than 61,000 (sales) this year. We’ve grown much quicker than the market … with good results across the range.”

He predicts total industry volume of about 920,000 units this year.

Building off that, Nissan has a firm eye on grabbing a foothold in Thailand’s emerging EV market, and Barthes reaffirms the automaker’s plans. “We announced in September (2017) we would bring the Leaf in 2018,” he says. “We think the Thai market will play a key role in the evolution of EVs in Southeast Asia.”

Nissan conducted a major customer survey that showed EVs are the right direction to take, Barthes says. “Acceptance of EVs is very high in Thailand. We surveyed 2,000 people from Southeast Asia…forty-four percent of customers (said they) would look at an EV for their next car.”

Nissan also found consumer knowledge was strong: “Customers are very aware of what is hybrid, plug-in, electric…they know what they want.”

The survey’s findings cemented Nissan’s decision to roll out the Leaf in Thailand despite the relative scarcity of charging infrastructure. “The objective of the study was to see if there is an appetite for EVs. The answer to that question is ‘yes,’” Barthes says.

Nissan is in close contact with the government as it aggressively pushes EVs. “We keep discussing with the government and decision-makers about parameters that could make EVs successful in Thailand.”