Masao Tsutsumi isn’t your typical car company president. He may have taken over as the top executive at Nissan Philippines last April, but he’s not a lifer at the company. Instead, before joining Nissan in 2018, the self-professed car guy has had stints in P&G, Philips, and Japanese restaurant group, Skylark. As an “outsider” Tsutsumi-san certainly has the capability (and quite frankly, the candor) to bring fresh perspectives to strength the carmaker’s position in the local market.
“The business principle is the same whether you’re selling detergents or selling cars. Ultimately, the customer looks for value, and if he finds that, he will reward us with a purchase,” says Tsutsumi-san. “It is different in that a car is one of the most expensive purchases a person will make and will extensively research on it before making a purchase. Therefore, it’s important that we understand the customer mindset.”
Understanding this customer mindset quickly is key to cementing Nissan’s position in the local automotive segment. This statement should come as no surprise from the man who was instrumental in signing up a then unknown rising tennis star named Naomi Osaka.
In the past few months since taking the top post, Tsutsumi-san has already visited a handful of dealers, including his first outside of Luzon. Through these visits, he aims to connect with and understand customers, to gain a more holistic view of the Philippine automotive landscape.
Tsutsumi-san and his team notes that customers still gravitate to and trust Nissan for its engineering, reliability, durability, and aftersales service, pointing out to a recent Customer Experience Study fielded by Singapore-based Differential as evidence of that.
“This level of brand trust can only be built by being in the country for more than 55 years,” he comments.
This trust extends not just to Nissan customers, but to their dealer partners as well. Consolidation is sometimes inevitable in the business, but he maintains that the network is strong and growing.
“Whenever we open up a new area, there’s always someone that raises their hand wanting to become a dealer partner,” he reveals.
Nonetheless, he’s not discounting the fact that Chinese brands have made inroads in tech. Although Nissan has introduced technologies such as advanced telematics (Nissan Connect Services) and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) in the market, Tsutsumi-san motions to his smartphone and puts it down as if it were positioned on a dash, “this is what customers look for.”
As such, he’s challenging the Nissan Philippines team to be more agile and quick to decide—a mentality aligned with the global Re:Nissan plan. This includes getting cars from sources outside of Thailand and Japan.
The decision, he admits, is partly due to the removal of the excise tax exemption on pickup trucks which will have an effect on their sales numbers, as it will to other brands who are heavily reliant on them.
Tsutsumi-san says he will be heading to China in the coming months to potentially explore bringing in models from there. Possibility, these could be the N7 sedan and Frontier Pro plug-in hybrid pickup truck, both of which have been confirmed for global export. He also admits that a sample of the Magnite small SUV is already in the country, possibly the one shown at PIMS, and that “a decision will be made very soon.”
A bevy of combustion engine, hybrid, and electric vehicles will be launched here. Some are full model changes of existing nameplates, some will be all-new nameplates for the market, Tsutsumi-san says.
“We know that there are some people who use Nissan’s troubles abroad to dissuade others from doing business with us,” Tsutsumi-san says. “I’m assuring you, as I’m assuring our customers and our dealers, that this will have no negative effect on the Philippine market. In fact, I’m challenging my team of around 150 individuals to see opportunities here.”
Yeah acts fast, Magnite could be a best seller.
ReplyDeleteAny new model offering for this year??
ReplyDeleteAt least one more.
Deletethey must also know the local market.... you can act fast but you have the wrong idea.
ReplyDeleteThat's true. Sometimes, corporations with their officers act reckless
DeleteBring here the ICE kick
ReplyDeleteProduction of the next generation Nissan Kicks with e-Power in Thailand won't start till 2026 or 2027.
DeleteGood luck to Nissan Philippines
ReplyDeleteMassive price increases for the Navara pickup truck next month will badly hurt their sales
Nissan Magnite can still save the brand
Please bring in
ReplyDelete- Nissan Murano Z53
- Nissan Pathfinder R53
- Nissan Qashqai J12
- Nissan Altima L34
Asa ka pa... Nissan Philippines just does not get the feel of the Philippine market.... They should hire some of the Toyota or Mitsubishi people
Delete