Ghandhara Nissan Limited (GNL) has made all the arrangements to restart local assembly cum manufacturing of NISSAN cars by middle of 2006.In an Interview Executive Director Marketing GNL, Muazzam Pervaiz Khan said that GNL has two most modern assembly plants at Port Qasim for assembly of passenger cars, light commercial and heavy commercial vehicles
Giving details of assembly for the first year manufacturing of Nissan vehicles in Pakistan, he said that company plans to start manicuring 3000 cars yearly and hoped to get a market share of around 10 percent in first year.
The company is registered with all major banks and leasing companies for the lease assistance to our valued customers.
Muazzam Pervaiz Khan said that seeing car market growing at the rate of 25 percent per annum we have started importing passenger cars in Complete Built up (CBU) conditions in view to meet market requirement.
FOLLOWING MODELS WERE IMPORTED:
1. Nissan Sunny 1.3 1300cc,
2. Nissan Sunny 1,6 1600cc,
3. Nissan Cefiero 2300 cc,
4. Nissan X-Trail 2.2 2200 cc diesel, and
5. Nissan X-Trail 2500 cc petrol.
He noted that initial response to imported Nissan petrol Jeep is excellent and added within last four months we managed to sale around 500 vehicles.
SALIENT FEATURES OF THESE IMPORTED VEHICLES ARE:
1. the brand name that is Nissan known as one of the top automobile of the world
2. Japan assembled
3. Nissan is famous in producing fuel economy engines
Executive Director Marketing said that the company have a dealership network of ten 3S dealers in all major cities of the country.
Five more dealers will be appointed by December this year.
The company providing training facility to its own and dealer's engineers and providing excellent after sales service to its valued customers.
He said that spare parts are available with GNL and its dealers in sufficient quantity at very competitive rates.
He said that the government has reduced the custom duty on the vehicles on 1500 cc and above. Subsequently, GNL has passed the duty benefit to its valued customers.
When asked about market growth of cars, he said that in 2002-03 total market size was 50,000 which suddenly jumped by 100 percent or 100,000 vehicles per year.
Giving a very cautious figure, he said that the market size is expected to grow by 20 percent per annum in next 5 years.
Giving reasons of increasing sale of vehicles, he said (1) economical and easy bank financing,
(2) 9/11 incident also played a major role and people started sending money from abroad to home which was invested in three sectors including real-estate, Stock Exchange and purchasing of automobile..
He said besides cars, GNL is engaged in heavy commercial vehicles assembly cum manufacturing of Nissan diesel trucks and buses.
He said that in truck segment we are number one in Pakistan.
Muszzam Pervaiz Khan, " our sale has increased from 900 units per year to 1450 units per year or 60 percent. We are number one in sale of PKD 311".
Regarding introducing new products in heavy vehicles segment, the Executive Director Marketing GNL said that the GNLis introducing a new bus with Euro one specification in September this year.
He hoped that this new model of bus would take larger share of bus market.
On a question he pointed pout that GNL is the only automobile Group which provides passenger cars, light commercial and heavy commercial vehicles in Pakistan.
(Interview by: N.H. Zuber)