Nissan's Plans in the Kingdom
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Nissan has unveiled its plans to revive and enhance its rich heritage in Saudi Arabia by renewing its relationship with the residents through an ambitious growth program. This announcement was made during a gathering with several VIPs and media personnel at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, where Nissan outlined its organized growth strategy for the next four years.
Nissan's Customer Service Goals
Among the key objectives set by Nissan is to consistently rank among the top three companies for customer service excellence in the Kingdom by the end of the fiscal year 2016. To reinforce this commitment, Nissan announced:
- The opening of its first ideal and experimental showroom for retail sales.
Power 88 Strategy
During the press conference about Nissan's plans in the Kingdom, Trevor Mann, Chief Performance Officer and Executive Vice President of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., stated:
"The Power 88 plan, which is Nissan's global medium-term strategy, aims to achieve an 8% operating profit and an 8% market share by the end of the fiscal year 2016. Saudi Arabia is a strategic part of this plan, making it a highly important market for Nissan. To best serve Nissan customers in Saudi Arabia, our strategy aims to strengthen our position through direct presence by establishing a joint venture for distributing Nissan vehicles in the Kingdom."
Aspiring Market Goals
Toru Hashigawa, Vice President of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., remarked, "Our ambition in Saudi Arabia is very clear: we must grow rapidly through direct brand presence to meet the needs of our customers in this extremely important market."
- A challenging target to achieve a market share of 12%, translating to more than 100,000 vehicles by the fiscal year 2016.
- To rank among the top three companies in terms of customer service.
- Utilizing an extensive network comprising over 60 showrooms across the Kingdom.
Nissan's Distributor Network and Services
Samir Sharaf, CEO of Nissan Middle East, stated, "Last September marked a new beginning for Nissan products and services in Saudi Arabia. Today, we announce how we will implement that. We will build our customer-focused network based on three main elements:
- A distinguished network of distributors with a wide presence across the Kingdom.
- Offering our full range of innovative and exciting models.
- Delivering on the promise of the Nissan brand experience.
Opening a New Showroom
He added, "To affirm our commitment, we will immediately bring the best of Nissan to Saudi Arabia, starting with the opening of the first ideal and experimental retail showroom in Riyadh, which is the first of its kind for Nissan globally. The showroom will feature a new and exciting design with advanced customer interaction levels."
New Projects and Marketing Initiatives
We will enhance this initiative through competitions that highlight our heritage, as we will launch the Nissan GT Academy and implement the revival project "Action it." Nissan is leveraging the full strength of its brand to renew its relationship with Saudi Arabia.
Partnership with Alissa Automotive
The first phase of Nissan's plan began with the appointment of Alissa Automotive in October. Nissan's strategic partner in vehicle distribution has over 60 years of experience in the automotive markets of the Kingdom. It will feature:
- 18 sales centers.
- 19 service centers.
- 27 parts outlets by the end of December this year.
Introduction of the 2014 Nissan Patrol
During the press conference, the company launched the new 2014 Nissan Patrol, the latest generation of the "King of Off-Roads," featuring a completely renewed design.
Unique Competition for Nissan Owners
The Nissan Patrol will also be one of the highlights of a unique competition organized in collaboration with MBC Group through its television, radio, and online channels over a period of more than 10 months. The competition targets owners of Nissan Patrol, Altima, Pathfinder, Sunny, Maxima, 370Z, and GT-R, inviting them to bring the oldest version of each of these vehicles to Alissa Automotive's showroom to be exchanged for a new 2014 model of the same type. A total of 17 completely new vehicles will be awarded to the winners during the competition period.
Nissan's Future Directions
Sharaf noted that "the ambitious plan relies on a straightforward approach that emphasizes returning to Nissan's core strengths: providing a close and high-quality network of distributors that sell our full range of vehicles. In our quest to achieve that goal, we will ensure that customers receive the best authentic Nissan experience, which has made the company one of the most popular automotive manufacturers in the Middle East. We look forward to enhancing our renewed presence in Saudi Arabia."
