Nissan Passenger Van to Launch in 2012; NV Sales to Take Time
The cargo model has seen slow sales and high inventories since its launch in March. But the auto maker is confident about the future of its commercial-van lineup, predicting it will take two to three years to see real growth.
DETROIT – Sticking to its plan, Nissan says it will bring to market a passenger version of its NV fullsize commercial van in March, a year after the cargo variant’s debut.
The cargo model has seen slow sales and high inventories since its launch. But Nissan officials are confident about the future of their commercial-van lineup, with announcements to come at the 2012 Detroit, Chicago and New York auto shows.
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Nissan says it still needs time to better establish its NV fullsize van line in a segment dominated by Ford and General Motors.
“We’re actually meeting our sales expectations,” says Joe Castelli, vice president-Nissan Fleet and Commercial Vehicles during a media event here. “We know this is a very difficult segment with two major competitors that we face. We knew it was going to take a 2- or 3-year period to ramp up our sales.”
The NV’s best month so far was in October, with 941 deliveries and a 5.6% share of the segment, Castelli says.
The higher volume enjoyed by Ford and GM, largely due to fleet sales, has eluded Nissan. Ford’s Econoline is the No.1-selling cargo van this year, with 74,874 deliveries through October, WardsAuto data shows. The Club Wagon version is the leading people-hauler, with 21,130 sales in the period.
Castelli says two-thirds to three-quarters of the NV’s 3,976 sales this year have been to private buyers. Sales to fleet companies have yet to materialize because firms still are testing the vehicle.
The upcoming NV passenger van, with 12 seats standard, goes on sale in the U.S. next spring. It is aimed at commercial buyers, such as airport shuttle services, as well as large families.
As with the cargo model, Nissan studied competitors and focused on improving their designs.
“The NV (passenger van) features a class-leading six independent rear seats,” Castelli says. “They can come out, and there are 324 different seating combinations.” All seat positions have their own seat-back design and headrest.
One of the current passenger-van owners’ biggest gripes is the ceiling-mounted seatbelts that create a “spider web” passengers must navigate when entering and exiting the van. The NV improves upon this by integrating the restraints and seats, Nissan says.
Slide-out, under-seat cupholders add to passenger comfort. There also is a third-row 12V power outlet, available reading lights for each row and 12 heating and cooling vents: two per row in the floor and two in the ceiling. Separate front and rear heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system controls are provided.
Wide aisles and a step-in height that is lower than primary competitors also are features of the NV passenger van, which is available in Nissan’s standard grades of S, SV and SL. Higher grades net buyers leather seating surfaces and a carpeted floor, compared with the cloth seats and vinyl floor of the base S grade.
The NV passenger van offers the same engines and transmission as the cargo version: a 261-hp 4.0L V-6 or 317-hp 5.6L V-8. Both are mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission.
The people-hauler is offered only with a standard roof, although some 60% of NV cargo-van sales have been high-roof models, besting Nissan’s estimate of 50%.
The auto maker will continue to retail its expanding NV lineup through its U.S. light-vehicle dealer network. So far, nearly 300 U.S. Nissan dealers have opted to sell the commercial van range.
Marketing efforts continue to be directed at tradespeople, such as plumbers, electricians and locksmiths.
Nissan sells the Canton, MS-built NV cargo van in the U.S. and Canada and is considering expanding to Mexico. The passenger van may be sold in the Middle East, Castelli says.
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