Nissan eyes 5% market share by 2020, slated to launch 8 new cars in 3 years

In an interview with DT Next, Jerome Saigot, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Nissan India (pictured below), outlines his plans for the state and the roadmap ahead. 

Datsun has completed three successful years in India with more than 90,000 customers to date. We are focused on increasing our reach and strengthening our dealer network especially in Tier 2 and 3 cities. We see India as an engine of growth in the global automotive market. To that end, Nissan India, which includes both Datsun and Nissan brands, has the intention to target 5 per cent market share by 2020 and launch eight new products by 2021 to become a major force in India. 

Tamil Nadu is one of the most important markets for Nissan and Datsun. We have 23 plus outlets across all major cities. We believe there is a lot of potential in the hinterlands, which we aim to tap by establishing more touchpoints. Our products are engineered for customers who also live beyond the metros. We are expanding our sales network with Datsun dedicated outlets and Rural Dealer Sales Executives (RDSE). Nissan India has 278 touchpoints across India, and we have introduced the 1S Dedicated Datsun outlet concept to further penetrate small towns (53 exclusive 1S outlets to date). 

TN is a dynamic market, and customers here expect a good value proposition, stylish design and feature-rich cars. So, we offer products which could cater to not just the needs but also the desires of first time car buyers. Currently we offer Datsun’s GO, GO+ (5+2 seaters) and redi-GO in India. The latter is especially well received by the young Indians. With the addition of the more powerful version with the 1.0L engine, we believe it will attract an even wider audience to the brand. To celebrate the festive season, we recently launched the redi-GO GOLD 1.0L (priced at around Rs 3.7 lakh). 

Right from inception, the manufacturing of Datsun cars has involved working with local vendors and suppliers. Today, 98 per cent localisation of the redi-GO stands as an example of the intensive effort put in to work with Indian supplier partners. The redi-GO 1.0L can be described as Indian car with Japanese DNA. It is designed for India, based on an extensive consumer research process. 

Nissan is in a strategic partnership with MyTVS, a brand owned by TVS Automobile Solutions Private Ltd, which allows Nissan’s customers to service their cars in locations Nissan/Datsun are not represented so far. Together with MyTVS, Nissan has eight Nissan Authorised Service Points (NASP) in Tamil Nadu. Along with MyTVS, the brand intends to expand NASPs to cover other locations throughout the country. 

The implementation of the GST is positive for both automobile manufacturers and customers. We are happy to pass on the benefits to our customers for a more attractive value proposition and one price across India. With the festive season, we expect the growth momentum to continue.