| Japan's Nissan Motor Company launched a new | | | | Viadieu added that 2007 was a "critical" year in which |
| pickup truck called the Frontier Navada in Thailand. The | | | | Nissan hoped to raise its market share to 8 per cent in |
| truck was set forth with high hopes and with an aim: to | | | | Thailand. He also said the automaker would beef up its |
| increase sales in the country to 55,000 units in the | | | | Thai dealership network and offer better financing |
| 2007-2008 business year and help it catch up with | | | | packages through its wholly-owned unit - Nissan |
| rivals. | | | | Leasing Thailand. The latter started business ventures |
| "Our strategy is to restore the Nissan brand to the Tier | | | | last year. |
| 1 market in Thailand by 2009 alongside Toyota and | | | | With the downturn in Thailand, Nissan intends to make |
| Honda, partly through the introduction of more new | | | | better this year and in the next years to come. It is |
| products," Thierry Viadieu, the president of local unit | | | | eager to put up a tough battle with auto giants in the |
| Siam Nissan Automobile Co., told reporters in the Thai | | | | territory to achieve its targets under a 3-year plan that |
| capital. | | | | runs until March 2008. |
| The automaker expects the new pickup truck to sell | | | | It can be recalled that the automaker in 2004, |
| 40,000 units in the business year starting in April, | | | | announced its plan to sell 130,000 units over the |
| exceeding its total sales that include passenger cars. | | | | 2005-2007 business years, the launch of 8 to 9 new |
| Nissan, held 44 per cent by France's Renault SA, | | | | models, and a ramp-up in local production capacity to |
| intends to start exports of the locally produced Frontier | | | | 200,000 units a year. Nissan is now powered to |
| Navara for the first time in the third quarter of this | | | | manufacture 46,000 vehicles every year. A new |
| year. Nissan’s spokeswoman in Tokyo also | | | | 3-year plan for 2008-2010 is due to be announced in |
| divulged this information. | | | | July, the spokesperson of the automaker added. |
| The Nissan Frontier Navara uses upgraded parts for | | | | From its very first truck manufacture, the automaker is |
| Nissan to improve its performance and capabilities. The | | | | famed for its notable Nissan truck parts. These |
| Navara’s existence could be traced since 1986. | | | | advanced auto parts paved way for the introduction |
| The automaker was the pioneer in the compact | | | | of Nissan’s firsts in the compact pickup truck |
| pickup truck segment and industry. Nissan has started | | | | market including the first extended cab bodystyle in the |
| truck manufacturing in 1959. The aftermath of the | | | | 1979 Nissan King Cab, and the first crew cab |
| venture is the Nissan Frontier. The Frontier was | | | | bodystyle compact pickup in the D22 Navara. |
| introduced in 1997 for the 1998 model year as a | | | | Since 1986, Nissan has created 3 generations of the |
| replacement for the aging 1986. Toyota followed the | | | | Navara. The first generation was the D21, a small |
| truck manufacture in the 1960s. | | | | pickup. The second generation of the Nissan Navara |
| Where Toyota Motor Corp. and Isuzu Motors Ltd. are | | | | came a decade after D21 existence. The Nissan |
| profitably selling in Thailand, Nissan is deemed a | | | | Navara D22, a compact pickup, was manufactured |
| laggard. In addition, Toyota and Isuzu seize | | | | from 1998 and went until 2005. The second generation |
| approximately four-fifths of the pickup market. Nissan | | | | Navara was replaced by bigger, taller, longer D40 – |
| vehicles, on the other hand, accounted for just 4.5 per | | | | a midsize pickup truck. |
| cent of the total Thai vehicle market in 2006. | | | | |