6:14 am, June 28, 2013
RETAINING your existing customers AND winning new ones. It’s the holy grail for any car manufacturer.
And it’s certainly what Nissan is hoping to achieve with the launch of all-new Note, arriving in dealerships across the UK this autumn.
Nissan has adjusted its place in the market, moving it away from its status as a mini-MPV, and turning it into a challenger in the heart of the B-segment, where Ford’s Fiesta reigns supreme.
Completely redesigned from the ground up, new Note has been engineered for the European market, and is built at Nissan’s Sunderland factory.
Among its many features are Nissan’s acclaimed ‘Safety Shield’ technologies, linking three systems to create a comprehensive driver assistance and protection package.
Three engines are available from launch: a 1.2-litre three-cylinder unit that generates 78bhp; a 96bhp 1.2-litre supercharged DIG-S and a 1.5-litre dCi diesel that produces 88bhp. A CVT transmission is available on the 1.2-litre DIG-S engine.
The new Note’s four-model range starts with the entry-level Visia from £11,900 which features equipment including idle stop/start, front electric windows, remote central locking and cruise control.
Acenta models – expected to be the best sellers of the range – start at £13,250 and the range-topping Tekna model starts at £15,950 and features 16-inch alloy wheels, part-leather seats, Around View Monitor and the three Nissan Safety Shield technologies as standard.
Nissan is certain new Note will strike the right chord with dealers – and some of them will be travelling to the Slovakian capital Bratislava next week to see the car for themselves.
Speaking exclusively to Car Dealer, Nissan’s UK marketing director, Guillaume Masurel, said the firm was hoping that 70 per cent of new Note buyers would be conquest buyers.
He added: ‘Our existing customers are traditional MPV and mini MPV customers and the new car is more in the heart of B-segment: lower and more dynamic.
‘This will attract conquest customers. We have a very strong marketing plan with a massive level of communication from the end of September.
‘That will help – as will our attractive pricing structure.’
Masurel also hopes the car will appeal to buyers who are downsizing. He said: ‘For people who are used to more upper segment cars but are deciding to go for something smaller, we need to offer them the right level of equipment, the right level of quality and the right level of refinement. This is where Note comes in.
‘We expect 80 per cent of new Note sales to come from Acenta and Acenta premium, with a 50-50 split between the two.’
Can Nissan retain its existing fan base and win new admirers? Masurel naturally hopes so.
He says new Note has plenty of practical attributes but is more dynamic than its predecessor.
‘The customer wants versatility. They don’t want something which is too single-minded.
‘They demand dynamism, practicality and technology. That’s what we have endeavoured to provide.’
