1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164 
Nissan's van plans
Page 44
Page 45
Page 46
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Nissan has been working hard on its van business over the past 12 months in preparation for a revitalised market push. We review the proposition...
ivur Andy Salter It's fair to say that Nissan has been in the wilderness over the past five years when it comes to vans. Indeed, the company as a whole has been going through a rapid transformation during that period as it sought to stabilise its activity in readiness for a great leap forward. According to Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive of Nissan, that period of reinvestment and revitalisation has come to a close."We are now ready to compete with any other manufacturer in the world for product excellence and on technology,he told UK press at Nissan's recent '360' event, where the whole of Nissan's global product line-up was available to drive.
Looking ahead With this turbulent period now behind it, the company is very much looking forward. There's an aggressive global expansion project about to be unveiled, and on vans the company is looking for significant growth opportunities around the world. For instance, in the US, it will begin building and selling a new light commercial vehicle range from 2010.
The vehicles will be sold through Nissan's commercial vehicle network and are jointly developed with ZF and Cummins. Closer to home, a new factory is due to open in Morocco in the same year, and the company will start selling vans in Russia from September of this year. In the UK, progress has been speedy over the past 12 months as Nissan has set about creating a commercial vehicle specialist network to run in conjunction with its car dealerships. Mark Lovett, Nissan's LCV director, had been recruited from alliance partner Renault UK to perform this function and while he is now leaving the company, the foundations are clearly set for a strong future. A replacement for Lovett is expected soon. and Nissan's new UK managing director, Paul Willcox, is bullish about the prospects for LCV growth.
Product management and sales
-I've committed to shifting Nissan GB's market share from 3.3 to 4"/. by 2012, and LCVs will make a major contribution to that push," he says. Willcox took on his role at the beginning of April and is currently defining the LCV strategy. That said, the commitment to vans is clear. "The LCV business is a central pillar of our future growth plans, not just in the UK, but globally," he adds. "It has its own business unit, which prevents it becoming marginalised in the business, but we have to ensure this doesn't result in a new silo being created, and we have to integrate where appropriate.
"The LCV business unit has two functions: product management and sales. The product management team's role is to ensure the output is managed effectively: the sales team's job is to sort the network and infrastructure." A Paul Willcox, Nissan's UK MD, is fired up about the LCV range Nissan has been creating a network of LCV dealers in the UK, primed to support the coming product launches. "It's important we have the network in place, so that when the new products begin to roll out in the next two years, we are prepared," Willcox explains. "We have a commitment and dedication from the dealers to invest in the Nissan LCV range. Sales improvements will only come if customers trust us, and trust is built through quality. That's the quality of the products and our people.
It's still early days, but the foundations are in place, and, on this evidence, Willcox has the much-needed energy ,ind enthusiasm to drive Nissan's LCV business forward.
Driving the Nissan range...
Nissan showcased its global range at the recent '360' event at the Estoril Circuit in Portugal. We ignored the latest 700hp Skyline sports car and focused on the LCVs.
Nissan Cabstar As we've mentioned, the new Atleon will he based on the Cabstar platform, and while the vehicle has room for improvement when it comes to refinement, it is a much better proposition than the Atleon. Noise levels are lower and the ride and handling are superior.
The Cabstar's turning circle is one of its many strongpoints; you can turn this vehicle on a metaphorical sixpence thanks to a tight steering lock. However, the steering wheel itself could do with some additional reach adjustment because it feels a little cramped at the wheel. The seat adjustment is excellent, though, with the travel ensuring that even the longest-legged driver will find a suitable position.
Storage options are excellent inside the cab there are plenty of cubby holes and storage trays, as well as some useful storage behind the seats. One downside of the decent storage in the dash console, though, is that it severely compromises the leg space for the centre passenger. As a result, in our opinion, the Cabstar is only really a two-seater.
But that gripe aside, the version we tried proved a willing worker out on the test track, and we were pleased to see the mirror wobble evident in early versions has been all but eliminated.
Nissan Interstar
While the Nissan Interstar is nothing more than a rebadged Renault Master, that shouldn't detract from the fact it remains a very fine van.
The fit and finish are excellent and it drives superbly. If Nissan could mirror the build quality of this vehicle in its Cabstar and Atleon range, then it would be home and dry.
The Interstar we drove was a 3.5-tonne, mediumwheelbase, medium-roof version equipped with the 150hp version of the 2.5-litre, four-cylinder engine. Pushing out 320Nm of torque, this machine had power aplenty for our test route and romped around without fuss. The six-speed manual transmission offered a crisp shift, not that the engine needed much stirring with so much power and torque on tap.
Inside the cab, our only criticism is that the window controls are too low for easy use annoying, but hardly a deal breaker. •