Nissan COO updates region on Value-Up

Shiga explained the key points of Value-Up to the attendees, which include a goal of 4.2 million units in global sales by fiscal year 2008, the highest operating profit margin for a global automaker for each of the three years of the plan and a 20% return on invested capital.

The Middle East is a strategic and important market for Nissan's global growth plans, which has seen a sharp expansion rise and is currently on track to reach the targets set by Carlos Ghosn, Nissan's President and CEO, just over a year ago.

'We have set a number of ambitious plans for ourselves. After successfully completing the Nissan Revival Plan and Nissan 180, it was a natural move for us to set the bar even higher for the third of our plans' said Shiga. 'The plan involves four key breakthroughs: making Infiniti a globally recognized luxury brand, building and reinforcing the LCV (Light Commercial Vehicle) Nissan business, developing new supply sources, specifically in Europe and Asia, as well as expanding our geographical presence, of which the Middle East region is key.'

Under Value-Up, the Middle East territory comprises 26 countries, covering MENA, Maghreb and CIS countries, where Nissan has set three main pillars for the business in the region. 'We have a vision for creating value beyond the customer's expectations' explained Shiga. 'Our objective is to sell a total of 170,000 units sales by end of Fiscal Year 08, all while maintaining the highest level of customer satisfaction. We can achieve this by applying the three main pillars of our business: the Nissan Power Brand strategy, the Infiniti strategy and the Business Enhancement Strategy.'

As a testament to Nissan Value-Up objectives Nissan commits to achieve over 50% growth over the Nissan 180 sales achievement in the region.

'To help our growth in the region, Nissan will be introducing 13 new vehicles during the Value-Up period, some of which have already appeared in the region and, such as the all-new Nissan Pathfinder and Nissan Sunny' said Shiga. 'Alongside the lineup expansion, we aim to be a trusted, familiar and special brand, providing top level customer service to accompany our distinctive product lineup.'

In total, Nissan and Infiniti will launch 19 new vehicles under Value-Up period. From the Nissan line-up, the all-new Pathfinder and Sunny have already been launched and have experienced immense sales success across all markets.

For Infiniti we have a challenging target of achieving over 7000 units by 2008. These goals are already well on the way, with Infiniti becoming the fastest growing automotive luxury brand in the region. The Infiniti M, will soon be launched in the region. Infiniti will also concurrently have other initiatives like the implementation of TOE (Total Ownership Experience), IREDI (Infiniti Retail Environment Design Initiative) dedicated shopping.

Geographical expansion will also play a key part in Value-Up, with Nissan gearing up to enter a host of new markets by FY08. 'We are planning on entering several new markets, including Iraq and Libya. We will also be expanding further into Maghreb countries, namely Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.' added Shiga. 'We have already begun this expansion with the latest inaugurated showroom in Algeria in July 2006; by FY08 there will be a total of 28 new customer touch points across this area.'

'This is a key market for Nissan and Infiniti - it is one of the fastest growing markets globally and offers immense potential on many fronts.' remarked Shiga. 'It is only natural for us, as one of the major global automotive manufacturers, to put so much effort into expanding in this region. There are limitless possibilities for us, and we aim to benefit all of our customers throughout the duration of Value-Up, something I believe we have clearly been able to accomplish.'