Universal Motors Corporation Doubles Sales of Urvan

Universal Motors Corp., the local assembler and distributor of Nissan commercial vehicles, has sold 6,000 units of Urvan under its “Ur Van, Ur Business” program for entrepreneurs.

UMC vice president Elizabeth H. Lee said the company has doubled its sales since the launch of its program in 2006.

At 6,000 units, the program has assisted 3,400 families and aided in the creation direct jobs to 4,400.

“Since its launch in 2006, Ur Van Ur Business has made a significant contribution to the lives of many people,” said Lee at Friday’s UMC thanksgiving event.

Lee said sales of Urvan had doubled to about 150 units a month from 70 units before the “Ur Van, Ur Business” campaign. Read more

Nissan Begins Building Flex-Fuel Livina in Brazil

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. kicked off the New Year in Brazil with a new product on the manufacturing line. The Nissan Livina is the first passenger vehicle to be produced through the Renault-Nissan Alliance Plant in São José dos Pinhais. It will be Nissan’s first E100 flex-fuel vehicle capable of running on both petrol and ethanol.

The two-row, five-seat MPV Livina will be available at Nissan dealerships in Brazil by March 2009. It will be available with a 1.6-liter K4M engine with manual transmission or a 1.8-liter MR engine available with automatic transmission.

Nissan do Brasil plans to continue bringing more locally produced models to market. Among these will be the three-row Grand Livina, which offers seating for seven. This MPV will be available for customers later this year. Read more

Nissan Opens School for SUV Owners

Twenty members from Club X, an organization of X-Trail enthusiasts, had their own day on October 25 at the SUV Safety School and graduated with honors. Their participation brings to a total of over 60 graduates of this off-road safety-driving course—the first of its kind in the country.

“We are thankful for the commitment and the opportunity for our club and for all X-Trail owners with the SUV Safety School,” says Ken Lim Uy, president of Club X. “No manufacturer we know has done something of this scope or magnitude for their customers. We thank Nissan Motor Philippines Inc. for providing this special day for Club X.” Read more

Toyota Achieves Highest Ranking in Philippines Customer Satisfaction Study

Toyota ranks highest in customer satisfaction with authorized dealer after-sales service in the Philippines, according to the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2008 Philippines Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) StudySM released today.

Now in its eighth year, the study measures new-vehicle owner satisfaction with the after-sales service process by examining dealership performance in seven factors. In order of importance, they are: problems experienced; service quality; user-friendly service; service delivery; service advisor; service initiation; and in-service experience. CSI performance is reported as an index score based on a 1,000-point scale. Overall customer satisfaction shows improvement with a score of 837 this year—an increase of 23 points since 2007. Read more

Nissan Sees RP Auto Sales Up by 8% in 2008; Launches New MPV

Nissan Motor Philippines Inc. (NMPI) expects local auto sales to remain on high gear this year, zooming eight percent more to 126,000 units, as demand for compact cars and fuel-efficient models heightens.

Last year, the country’s auto industry sales broke past the 100,000-mark for the first time in a decade to 117,000 units as manufacturers unveiled upgraded variants of best-selling models to meet the growing demand for utility or multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs).

“The opportunity lies in the AUV and MPV segment where the biggest migration of vehicle owners seems to be happening,” NMPI president Allen Chen said during the launch yesterday of its 1.8-liter Grand Livina MPV.

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