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Van of the hour
Page 18
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The new NV200 van will be launched next year, and to get the full details we catch up with Nissan's van boss Andy Palmer.
Words: Andy Satter LATE LAST YEAR, Nissan gave CM a Andy Palmer: sneak preview of the shape of things to "Driven by customer come by letting us see its new light van requirements."' concept vehicle. The vehicle was very much a styling exercise, but it clearly in dicated the direction Nissan was head ing in with its light van development.
Gone was the link with sister com pany Renault; on the face of it, it seemed Nissan was preparing to go it alone.
Roughly 12 months on from our secret briefing on the NV200. Nissan is going public with its CV plans. At the IAA Show in Hannover this autumn, the NV200 still in concept phase took pride of place on the Nissan stand.
Van industry watchers will be well aware that for the past five years. Nissan has been relying on rebranded group products from sister company Renault for its light CV line-up. The light van sector has been covered by the corn pany's Kubistar. a rebadged Renault Kangoo; the mid-range by Primastar, Trafic by another name; and at the top end of the range. Nissan has had Interstar to all intents and purposes a Renault Master with a different logo on the grille and rear doors.
Global commercial business This strategy has served the company well, with Nissan's global commercial vehicle business turning out more than 600,000 units in the past 12 months and finances shifting from scarlet to a more sombre, yet profitable, black.
We caught up with Andy Palmer, Nissan vice-president responsible for the light commercial sector, at the IAA Show in September to find out what is driving the Japanese automotive giant's plans. "The original requirement to use a rebranded group product was borne out of necessity," he told us.
"Our global light CV business was losing money, volumes were down, and if we were going to be successful in this sector then things needed to change quickly. We had to ask ourselves: 'Are we in the van market or not?' If so, how do we make money at it and does it fit with the global policy?
"Our priority between 2002 and 2004 was to stop the bleeding and the product from sister company Renault gave us a vehicle to take to market quickly and with little development cost. It was a quick fix."
The strategy was proof that with a strong line-up, Nissan could be successful in the light CV sector. With the business case proven and volumes and profit established, the manufacturer began investing in the products. M this end, it took the decision to make vans core to its offering and the latest NV200 is bursting with innovative features that should set Nissan on the right course for accelerated global light CV growth.
"If you're going to be a global player in the LCV sector, then to be successful you have to do it properly," notes Palmer,"and we decided to make the vehicle a core strength of our offering. We no longer share the products with Renault but the partnership is much deeper now than hardware, it's more intellectual. We are sharing conceptual ideas and development know-how, but the product looks individual.
"The NV200 is full of Nissan DNA. The product on show [at Hannover] was a concept vehicle; the series production will bear similarities, but will be adapted for volume manufacture."
As well as Nissan DNA, the NV200 will have a British connection Nissan announced last month that its Cranfieldbased research and development facility, Nissan Technical Centre Europe (NTCE), is to play a key role in its global van development programme. Cranfield's designation as a centre of van excellence has received government support from the East of England Development Agency, whose 1,100,000 grants over the past two years are helping to fund the training of engineering and design staff in the skills necessary to meet the needs of future van projects.
The design centre is contributing to the development of the NV200: after the completion of that programme. NTCE will play a central role in the development of a new van series, with particular focus on the European market.
Strategic approach The Nissan approach is 10 put the customer at the very centre of the vehicle design. "Our strategic approach is somewhat different from other players," Palmer explains.
"We're driven by customer requirements and those will be varied throughout the global market. Customer satisfaction comes via product excellence — and if you get those two ingredients in place, the consequence is greater vol
umes and better profit for your business," he says.
Nissan has big ambitions for the NV200 as the company begins its assault on the light CV sector — and Palmer has assembled a strong team of proven commercial experts to lead the charge, some poached from rivals and others home-grown.
We expect a 3.5-tonne panel van to join the line-up soon. And while Palmer was non-committal about plans for a lighter vehicle joining the line-up, we wouldn't be surprised to see something from Nissan aimed at the compact van sector — which the company has good experience of through its Japanese home market.
Further up the weight scale, Nissan has the Cabstar — also sold by Renault Trucks as the Maxity and a number of Volvo "Buck dealers throughout Europe — while its range will stop with Aticon chassis cab at the top end.
We understand that a new version of the Atleon, available for the first time in right-hand drive, will hit the showrooms in 2010. The range will max out at a nominal eight-tonne GVW, Palmer confirms, rejecting any thoughts of a move into the medium or heavy truck sector.
Comprehensive range "By 2012 we have stated we will have 47 vehicles in the light commercial vehicle range, up from 37," says Palmer. This will make the Nissan commercial lineup the widest and most comprehensive of any manufacturer in the world."
Nissan is a company with a bold growth plan for both its passenger car and commercial vehicle line-up and has carefully and thoughtfully devised its strategy — the building blocks of which are now in place. While it may not be the obvious choice for your fleet business today, it will be pushing itself on to your tender lists in the years ahead.
The proof of the pudding will be when the new NV200 hits the streets next year, but for now things look good for Nissan... very good. •