Nissan Almera is top among Cebu’s TNVS providers

NPI senior marketing manager Dax Avenido, Ramesh Narasimhan, and Nissan Cebu Central president Brian Chua

Cebu City—Surprise, surprise! The top transport network vehicle service (TNVS) ride in this city that’s experiencing its own automotive boom is the Nissan Almera.

Largely because of this, the three Nissan dealerships in the Queen City of the South are enjoying a boom in sales as well.

Based on Uber Philippines’ data for the first quarter of 2017, the Almera led the list of top 10 vehicle brands in use, grabbing 20 percent of the TNVS market share.

Vios (Toyota) cornered 16 percent, while Mirage (Mitsubishi) and Picanto (Kia) each got 7 percent. The Wigo (Toyota), Rio (Kia), Accent (Hyundai), Avanza (Toyota), Ertiga (Suzuki), and Eon (Hyundai) rounded up the rest of the top 10.

The Uber data was furnished to Inquirer Motoring by Michael Goho, EVP of Gateway Motors Cebu (a multibrand dealer which also launched Nissan Cebu South on May 25).

“The Almera has become the trend here in Cebu with Uber and Grab operators. Cebuano passengers find the Almera more spacious, while drivers and operators find it more efficient,” observed Goho.

Markane Goho, president of Gateway Motors Cebu, said that the Nissan Cebu South dealership has no special financing program yet for buyers who intend to register their vehicles with Uber and Grab, but that both TNVS companies had already expressed interest in partnering with the dealership.

Ramesh Narasimhan, Nissan Philippines Inc. president and managing director, told the motoring media during the May 25 Nissan Cebu South launch: “From a sales perspective, Grab and Uber operators find the Almera extremely customer-friendly, which is one of the reasons Almera sales last year grew by 98.9 percent, virtually doubling the volume.

“Last year, about 4,500 Almera units nationwide [were sold]. It’s still less than what we wanted, but better than where we were.”

Another Nissan dealership in metropolitan Cebu, the Nissan Cebu Central, was launched the day after the launch of Cebu South.

During this event, its president Brian Chua echoed the Gohos’ observations: “The feedback TNVS operators gave was for the Almera’s size and space. It’s more comfortable to ride in, particularly at the back seat. Despite it being classified as a subcompact sedan, it’s bigger.”

Julie S. Tio, GM of Nissan Cebu Distributors Inc. (the original Nissan dealership in Cebu located in Mandaue City), said that “the Nissan Almera has gained recognition for being the most spacious vehicle in its segment.

“Plus, there’s the fact that the Nissan air-conditioning system is the best. Some of our new customers for the Nissan Almera attest that they experienced the most comfortable ride while taking Uber or Grab.

“Seeing the potential income from such a business, combined with lower maintenance costs of owning a Nissan vehicle, the Nissan Almera becomes a preferred vehicle for Cebuano entrepreneurs.”

Tio also operates another Nissan dealership in Tagbilaran, Bohol province, which has been in operation since 2011.

The two dealerships launched in succession in Cebu via Gateway Motors Cebu (for Cebu South) and Autosynergy Inc. (for Cebu Central) feature the Japanese marque’s global retail design Nissan Retail Environment Design Initiative 2.1 (NREDI 2.1).

From left, Narasimhan with Goho brothers Markane and Michael

Cebu now has three dealerships, the original being Nissan Cebu Distributors Inc. located at M.L. Quezon Avenue in Mandaue City (established in 1993).

The Almera is known for being the most spacious in its segment. Though not particularly remarkable in its exterior design, it blends in well with all the other entry-level cars in its category.

The 1.5-liter Almera was first assembled in the Philippines in September 2012, and was officially introduced locally in January 2013.

The Nissan Technopark, which has been operating since 1997 with an overall assembly capacity of 3,000 units per month (one of the largest in the industry), has positioned this sedan to compete head-to-head against the Toyota Vios, Honda City and Hyundai Accent.

Now available in Cebu, the Almera has overtaken the traditional leaders—which has made its three dealers uber-excited.