Nissan Eyes Philippines to Reclaim Top ASEAN Market Position

Japanese multinational automaker Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. sees strong potential for the Philippines to reclaim its position as the company’s top market in Southeast Asia. “It has the potential to come back to number one,” Nissan Asean and Thailand president Masao Tsutsumi told reporters following the soft launch of the company’s latest vehicle models yesterday. Tsutsumi said the Philippines is “very close” to overtaking Thailand as Nissan’s top market in the region, underscoring the former’s growing importance to the automaker’s Asean operations. This is reflected in Nissan’s decision to put the Philippines at the front of its regional rollout, choosing the country as the first market for the all-new Nissan Navara Pro plug-in hybrid and Primera EV. The two models, previewed this week ahead of their official launch in November, are being positioned as the company’s first-of-their-kind offerings in the region. “The Philippines is very important, and we believe those products can fit Filipinos’ needs and lifestyle,” Nissan Philippines Inc. president Yoshinori Kanazawa said. That confidence comes as Filipino consumers show a growing appetite for electrified vehicles and new automotive technologies. Kanazawa said the ongoing Middle East crisis, which triggered fuel price spikes, fueled the interest for more sustainable mobility options. While vehicle ownership relative to population remains lower in the Philippines than in many of its regional peers, Kanazawa said the country’s shift toward greener mobility is gaining momentum. A recent Deloitte study noted rising consumer interest in electric vehicles in the Philippines amid higher fuel costs, but limited public charging infrastructure remained a key barrier to wider adoption. Kanazawa, however, stressed that strong initiatives from both the government and private sector are helping accelerate the transition and create a more favorable environment for electrified vehicles. “Now, the Philippines is rapidly expanding the infrastructure. So I’m quite optimistic about future development of Filipino infrastructure for electrification,” Kanazawa added.