Nissan 8 by 2012 That was the operative bit from this release in Tokyo today:
NISSAN APPOINTS HOVER AS MARKETING, SALES,
SERVICE AND DEALER DEVELOPMENT PARTNER FOR INDIA
55 dealers countrywide by 2012 to reach 80 percent market coverage
TOKYO (May 9, 2008) – Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (NML), today announced the appointment of Hover Automotive India Private Ltd. (Hover) as its service partner for marketing, sales, after-sales service and dealer development in India, effective May 8, 2008. Under the service provision agreement, Hover will undertake the implementation of Nissan’s marketing and sales strategy, and support dealer development in India, with the aim of establishing 55 dealers by 2012.
"India is a strategic market for the future of Nissan. Not only is there tremendous potential, but Nissan is well positioned to play a key role by delivering attractive, affordable vehicles to Indian consumers," said Carlos Tavares, executive vice president, NML. "Hover is a strategic partner that offers the necessary sales, marketing and dealer development expertise to ensure our success in India."
Hover will focus on delivering value-added services to customers throughout the vehicle ownership lifecycle. "As always, we will build our brand on a foundation of trust, quality and service," added Tavares.
Hover’s activities will complement those of Nissan Motor India Private Ltd. (NMIPL), which will continue to undertake overall business management in India, including corporate planning, product planning and distribution.
“We are excited to have the opportunity be a part of Nissan’s business in India,” said Moez Mangalji, chairman of Hover. “We hope to deliver on Nissan’s brand promise by harnessing our local knowledge of the Indian customer, and combining the best of Hover’s marketing and dealer development expertise with the Nissan Sales and Service Way to meet the high customer expectations.”
Growing Nissan’s distribution footprint from the current five to 55 dealers will extend Nissan’s presence to all major cities to achieve at least 80 percent market coverage. Each Nissan dealership will comply with the global Nissan brand and retail standards in terms of design and customer service.
By 2012, Nissan expects to sell more than 100,000 vehicles in India. The growth will come from an aggressive product offensive ranging from entry-level cars, sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs and family utility vehicles to light commercial vehicles. In addition to the current X-TRAIL and Teana, Nissan will launch eight new models by 2012, four of which will be locally manufactured. The next product to be introduced to India will be the popular Murano crossover, scheduled for launch in 2009.
About Hover:
Hover is affiliated with The Westmont Group, a global consortium consisting of a diverse portfolio in hotels, real estate, customer service, brand management and marketing. The Westmont Group employs more than 40,000 people in Asia, Europe, Mexico, Canada and the United States. Hover’s board of directors has a proven track record of aligning with world-class brands to deliver unmatched speed to market and uncompromised customer service.
Founder and chairman of Hover, Moez Mangalji from The Westmont Group, is joined on the board of directors by partners GM Singh and Kevin Whalen.
Singh is a successful Mumbai-based businessman who founded the GMS Group. His companies range from automotive retail and car rental franchises to power generation and real estate development across India.
Whalen is regarded as one of the elite dealer development entrepreneurs in the United States and the automotive retail industry. He was a founding member of a Fortune 500 publicly traded automotive retail consolidator.
About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.:
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. generated global net revenues of 10.468 trillion yen in 2006. Nissan is present in all major global auto markets selling a comprehensive range of cars, pickup trucks, SUVs and light commercial vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. Nissan employs 224,000 people worldwide |