Nissan Middle East FY 2012 Results

Nissan Middle East held a press conference yesterday to mark the end of 2012 fiscal year and share the financials. Steady evolution, not revolution is our theme of growth, emphasized Samir Cherfan, Managing Director, Nissan Middle East. 

Here are some historical highlights for Nissan Middle East:

- In 1957 the first Nissan was sold in Middle East

- In 1994 the Nissan Middle East regional office was set up in Jebel Ali

- In December 2012 the 2,000th Graduate passed out from Nissan ME training centers

Nissan Middle East is present in 24 markets, 138 service outlets, 90 service centers and 102 spare part outlets. 

Here are the financial highlights for Nissan Middle East:

- Sales have grown 26.2% for 2012 fiscal year, ending March 2013

- Market share achieved is 14.4% in the Gulf region

- New launches included Nissan Micra, Nissan Altima, Nissan Sentra and Nissan Pathfinder

We caught up with Samir Cherfan for a brief Q&A:

YM: What is the growth strategy and forecast for 2013?

SC: We project a minimum 11.1% growth in sales. Our focus is on core models such as Pathfinder, Patrol, Sunny, Sentra and Altima. We have 4 pillars of growth: 1) Our Heritage in Middle East 2) Our dealer network 3) Widest lineup of models, 4) Brand Power of iconic models such as 370z, Patrol, Altima and Juke-R.

YM: What models do you plan to focus for aggressive growth?

SC: We have aggressive plans for all our models, however in particular we plan to grow the Altima sales by 50% in next three years. In addition, we plan to increase sales of the Sentra at 25,000 units per year. We currently enjoy 30% market share in C-segment which makes us a market leader. Finally for the Pathfinder, we have plans to increase sales by 100% over the next three years. 

YM: What are your best performing models as of last year?

SC: The Patrol grew 66% compared to last year. More than 14,000 Patrols were sold in 2012. The Patrol enjoys 22% market share in the Gulf and shares a special relationship with the people here. In addition, the Sunny grew 50% compared to last year as well.