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Low-cost Nissan launched |
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Siam Nissan Automobile Co outlined its product policy yesterday, with a focus on car segmentation this year to push sales and boost the brand's image, according to Koji Okuda, senior vice-president for marketing and sales. The launch of Tiida Latio four-door sedan yesterday was part of the company's product strategy. ''Last year was an excellent year for us, with an overall result that turned out positively, especially in the pickup segment,'' Mr. Okada said at the launch. ''At the same time, we also saw an improvement in our cars but we are still eager to improve and expand in order to meet our goal of satisfying Nissan customers to the fullest,'' he added. The introduction of the Latio as the four-door sedan in the Tiida car line is seen as an effort to recapture customers who want value and have high expectations for a family car. A company source said the Tiida made its debut in 2004 but both the hatchback and sedan versions had received a lukewarm response from customers, despite its premium quality, roomy interior and good fuel economy and performance. The company decided to re-launch the Tiida in 2007 by repositioning it between the compact Toyota Vios or Honda Civic and the rival subcompact Toyota Vios/Yaris or Honda City/Jazz models. The move prompted Nissan to bring down Tiida prices, said the source. For 2008, Mr. Okuda said the company had decided to separate the marketing plan for the Tiida hatchback from the sedan because the target customers are different. The hatchback model continues to be called Nissan Tiida while the sedan will be popularised as the Tiida Latio. ''We are confident that with our individual sales and marketing plans, we will be able to reach our target customers while at the same time they will gain better understanding of our products through new communications and activities,'' he said.
The prices for the Tiida Latio start from 554,000 baht for the new
1.6-litre model in both manual and automatic transmissions. They go up
to 715,000 baht for the top 1.6-litre automatic model. |
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Bangkok Post, 14.05.2008 |
