Nissan reckons that by being the first, it can establish a strong foothold in this market when EVs (electric vehicles) start taking over the world in the foreseeable future.

However, Nissan know the feat won’t easy, since Thai consumers – like most people around the world – remain wary of the technology and the operating range, as well as safety. It will be years before there is a significant level of public acceptance.

To date, almost 100 units of the Leaf have been sold here, which is a great start for Nissan, although well below sales of the recently launched MG ZS EV, which has surpassed 700 units.

Clearly the Bt1.99-million pricing of the Leaf is the culprit here. Priced at just Bt1.19 million, the MG ZS EV is finding purchasers much more easily.

Nevertheless, Nissan says the two EVs are in different segments – and with that big a price difference, they’d better be.

During the past week Nissan went ahead with its marketing drive for the Leaf, staging a driving event for the local media and customers in Bangkok. The goal was to display its sporty performance and its real range in actual Bangkok driving.

The Leaf comes with a 40-kWh lithium battery and a 150-horsepower AC synchronous electric motor, driving the front wheels with 320Nm of torque available from 0rpm.

The second-gen Leaf’s battery pack has been upgraded, offering a 60-per-cent increase in energy density while retaining the same size.

Nissan claims the Leaf can accelerate from 0-100kmh in 7.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 150kmh.

But what everyone really wants to know is how far it can go before the battery’s dead. According to NEDC standard figures, the Leaf can cover 311 kilometres cruising, which means that, in real-world driving (which involves acceleration and deceleration, traffic jams and high speeds on the motorway), you’d go much less than suggested.

While EVs operate efficiently at lower cruising speeds and are able to regenerate electricity in stop-and-go traffic, the battery gets sucked dry with any form of high-speed driving, even for a short period of time. And, unfortunately, the Leaf is no exception.

I took the Leaf from the event headquarters on Rama IX Road to the Riva Floating Café in Nakhon Pathom (pretty nice place with its natural atmosphere, I must say) and back, with speeds varying according to the road type – from stop-and-go on Rama IX to highway speeds on the expressway.

I’d guess that the Leaf can cover 220-250 kilometres on a single charge.

Thanks to the electric motor, there’s as much as 320Nm of torque ready to be served from 0rpm, offering super-quick pedal response and acceleration, from any given speed.

The electricity cost depends on several factors, but Nissan is looking at the Bt200 level per full charge or Bt0.50 per kilometre (compared to Bt1.50 and above for regular cars with internal combustion engines).

And, due to having fewer components than cars with internal combustion engines, the Leaf promises significantly lower maintenance costs, while the battery is made up of small modules that can be replaced individually to help save costs.

Nissan is offering an eight-year/160,000km warranty for the battery and five-year/100,000km warranty for other electrical components in the Leaf.

One of the new features that Nissan is enthusiastic about is the e-Pedal, which goes a step further in harvesting energy from regenerative braking. Lift off the pedal and the car starts to brake (with deceleration rate of up to 0.2g), just like you experience in a golf cart. With the e-Pedal function on, you can practically move and stop the car with just the accelerator pedal.

However, while some might like the convenience (and the added level of energy regeneration), some will not.

“My wife is going to kill me if I put this on while driving in traffic,” said my co-driver as he signalled me to look at his head rocking back and forth while he pressed and eased off the accelerator.

Nissan says it takes 12 hours to fully charge the Leaf with a regular 3.6kWh 3-phase wall outlet via the universal cable, but the time is halved with a 6.6kWh wall box. For quick visits to charging stations, it takes 40 minutes to reach 80 per cent capacity.

The number of charging stations for EVs (as well as PHEVs) is growing in Thailand and it should be easy to plan long-distance trips, especially with smartphone apps (from Nissan as well as charging-station operators).

The Leaf is a five-door hatchback that offers good practicality. The steering is feather-light and, although the suspension provides nice ride comfort at cruising speeds and it feels very stable, the Leaf doesn’t take hard bumps very well, especially those in downtown Bangkok.

While there’s no noise from the motor (a good point for having no engine), you seem to be bothered more by the tyre and wind noise (even with the 0.28 coefficient of aerodynamic drag stated by Nissan), particularly around 120km/h.

The Leaf offered in Thailand is currently available only with a white body and black roof. Nissan says other colours will be considered in the future, along with possibly more features.

It’s a shame that the Pro Pilot autonomous driving and automatic parking functions have not been included in the Leaf’s Thai package. Two reasons – lane markings in Thailand are often unclear, which could cause the system to malfunction, and it’s cheaper without them.

The Leaf is imported and lower specs mean that Nissan can quote lower pricing and minimise the amount of import duty the Leaf has to carry.

It’s a good thing that Nissan has left many of the intelligent safety features untouched. They include Forward Collision Warning and Braking, Moving Object Detection, Drive Attention Alert and Around View Monitor (AVM).

While the exterior design is pretty clean and understated, the cabin design is a small disappointment. The first thing I felt inside the Leaf was that it looks just like a normal car with nothing to impress you with, like the huge displays in the Tesla or even the Toyota Prius hybrid.

The black interior has blue stitching and there’s a tiny, low-res touchscreen on the centre console, plus a multi-information display on the fascia that provides a large amount of information through various screens.

There is Bluetooth, USB input and a 12-volt outlet, just the regular features you’d find in a normal car.

There is good usable space in front as well as visibility, but things aren’t too good at the rear, with little headroom for six-footers and small rear windshield for you to see through while reversing (luckily there’s AVM).

The rear seat backrest is split-foldable and helps to increase the standard 435-litre luggage area further, although you don’t get a totally-flat floor, due to the battery pack.

The Nissan Leaf is a good example of what we can expect from the latest batch of EVs that are appearing in Thailand. But with its rather hefty price and removed features, it’s unlikely to become a household name. Rather. It will be a nice second car for the family that’s eco-friendly and economical.

NISSAN LEAF EV SPECS

Motor: AC synchronous

Battery: Lithium-ion

Battery capacity: 40kWh

Max power: 150ps/3,283-9,795rpm

Max torque: 320Nm/0-3,283rpm

Transmission: 1-speed automatic

0-100kmh: 7.9 secs

Top speed: 150km/h

Cruising range: 311kms (NEDC)

Charging time (normal): 12 hrs (3.6kW), 6 hrs (6.6kW)

Quick charging (alert to 80 per cent): 40 mins

Average fuel economy:

Average CO2: 0g/km

Suspension (f/r): McPherson strut, coil spring/torsion beam/coil spring

Steering: powered rack-and-pinion

Turning circle: 10.8 metres

Brakes (f/r): vented disc/disc

Length: 4,480mm

Width: 1,790mm

Height: 1,540mm

Wheelbase: 2,700mm

Track (f/r): 1,530/1,545mm

Weight: 1,523kgs

Wheels: 17-inch alloys

Tires: 215/50 R17

Fuel tank capacity:

Price: Bt1.99 million

Distributor: Nissan Motor Thailand Co Ltd

The 400,000-square metre centre will supply trucks and buses to the Asean region.

Apichin Jotikasthira, deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Industry, was present as guest of honour at the ceremony. Others included Ninnart Chaithirapinyo, chairman of Toyota Motor Thailand Co Ltd; Makoto Minagawa, senior managing officer, Hino Motor Ltd; Tetsuya Daikoku, managing officer, Mitsui & Co Ltd as well as officials from government agencies.

The Bt3.65-billion centre features facilities for product planning, R&D and manufacturing, integrated with a test course and an operation base.

The project aims to offer Thai and Asean consumers ‘best-fit’ products that exceed their expectations by 2024.

The investment will contribute to the Thai economy in terms of exports, transfer of technology and specialised skills. It will also enhance employment in the areas of research and design, company executives said.

Somchai Pleankaew, president of Hino Motors Manufacturing (Thailand) Ltd, said: “In the next two years, after our first production and development centre in Asean has started operation, Hino will not merely be a domestic manufacturer of trucks and buses, but we will position Thailand as an important development and production base for the Asean region and beyond. The centre will comprise a model factory with the latest technologies, integrated with the development office and a test course. Our goal is to develop and produce the ‘best fit’ products for our customers, both in Thailand and Asean, in a timely manner. The new centre will be a safe and environmentally-friendly workplace for our staffs. Moreover, we will collaborate with Toyota and Hino groups to enhance each company’s competitiveness and further support development of the Thai economy and industries as well as others in the Asean region”.

Overview

Name: Suvarnabhumi Monozukuri Center

Location: Bang Bo, Samutprakarn Province

Site area: 400,000 sqm

Functions: Product planning, development, and production of Hino vehicles

Products: Light- and medium-duty trucks and buses

Operation startup date: 2021

Employees: Approx 1,300 (at start of operation)

Investment: Bt3.65 billion

Applicants can also send in resumes online at recruit@mgc-asia.com and LINE: hrmgc and call 088-809-9478 and 091-120-0718 for more information.

At the contract-signing earlier this month, Peugeot Thailand CEO Joerg Breuer said the company would launch two new models this year – the 3008 and 5008, and another six models within the next two years. The 3008 and 5008 will be formally introduced at the upcoming BIG Motor Sale 2019, to be held from August 16-25 at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Center (Bitec).

He said Peugeot would build a new dealership network across the country, and was seeking local partners. A prototype showroom and service centre will open in Bangkok in the last quarter of the year, followed by others in Bangkok and upcountry early next year.

Panatda Chennavasin, vice president of Tripetch Isuzu Sales Co Ltd, said the move was aimed at helping promote the government’s initiative to increase B20 usage in small diesel vehicles. Benefits include lower fuel costs as well as lower dependency on fuel imports.

“Isuzu, a leader in diesel technology and biodiesel fuel, gladly supports the Thai government’s initiative which will help farmers suffering from dropping palm oil prices, as well as lower the amount of fuel we need to import,” she said.

Panatda said Isuzu believes promoting B20, which is cheaper than regular diesel, is one of the strategic moves to ensure sustainability for the country in the long run.

Models that Isuzu recommends for inspection are the D-MAX pickup from 2012 to present and all Mu-X models. Customers coming in for a B20 inspection package at Isuzu service centres will enjoy discounts in labour fee and parts. The offer is valid from Friday until December 30.

SMT president Minoru Amano said this was the third year for the event, and the topic for this year was “customer complaint management in sales, after sales and spare parts”.

While the top 10 Suzuki dealerships in the country were selected based on sales and after sales performances, only one received the top award and gets to keep the trophy for a year.

The Best of the Best Dealer 2018/2019 trophy went to Areemitr Autosales Co Ltd, while nine other outstanding Suzuki dealerships each took home Platinum dealer awards.

Suzuki plans to expand its dealership network to 130 in 2019. During the first six months of this year, the Japanese minicar specialist sold over 12,000 vehicles in Thailand, down 12 per cent compared to the same period last year, while the total market grew by 7 per cent.

Amano

“Dealers play an important part in strengthening the Suzuki brand in Thailand, which will help drive sales and market share in a sustainable manner,” Amano said. “Our policy is to work closely with dealers and service centres in order to create the highest level of customer satisfaction.”

Meanwhile, Suzuki has introduced an updated version of the Ciaz subcompact sedan, priced at Bt568,000. The 2019 Ciaz GL Plus comes with all-round aero kit, new audio player with 6.2-inch touchscreen and Bluetooth connection for up to five devices, and a rearview camera.

Suzuki Ciaz GL Plus

However, the job cuts are unlikely to affect Thailand where sales have been growing, according to a company source.

“Thailand should not be affected by the job cuts,” the source commented. Nissan is the fifth-ranked brand by sales in the Kingdom behind Toyota, Isuzu, Honda and Mitsubishi.

Nissan has enjoyed a 3.4 per cent growth in Thailand during the first six months of the year with sales reaching 34,577 units, thanks to the success of new models like the Terra SUV.

Globally, Nissan will also reduce the size of its product lineup by at least 10 per cent by the end of fiscal year 2022 in order to improve product competitiveness by focusing investment on global core models and strategic regional models.

In the first quarter of fiscal 2019, Nissan’s global unit sales decreased 6 per cent to 1.23 million units, while the total global industry volume decreased 6.8 per cent to 22.5 million units.

Nissan reported that during this period, it had generated an operating profit of 1.6 billion yen (Bt456 million) net revenues of 2.37 trillion yen, equivalent to an operating margin of 0.1 per cent. First quarter net income fell by 94.5 per cent to 6.4 billion yen.

It said the total global industry volume remained weak during the quarter, and Nissan’s unit sales decreased as the company continued its efforts to normalise sales. Profitability was negatively impacted by the decrease in revenue and external factors such as raw material costs, exchange rate fluctuations and investments to meet regulatory standards.

The new Pajero Sport line-up is priced at Bt1.299 million for the 2WD GT, Bt1.469 million for the 2WD Gt-Premium and Bt1.599 million for the 4WD GT-Premium. The models were previously priced at Bt1.301 million, Bt1.404 million and Bt1.544 million respectively.

The improved version has a more sophisticated design, with a higher bonnet that exhibits a deeper, more aggressive front.

The Pajero Sport, which is assembled at Mitsubishi’s Laem Chabang plant in Chon Buri, comes with a new 8-inch colour LCD meter, Smartphone-Link Display Audio (SDA) and an electrically-powered tailgate with hands-free function. The automaker says the remote-control unit is capable of sending notifications to the driver’s smartphone in situations such as when the tailgate has been left open or when the headlights have been left on.

The powered tailgate can also be opened and closed via a smartphone, while the tailgate reservation system opens or closes the tailgate automatically when the owner approaches or leaves the vehicle.

Other intelligent features include Lane Change Assist and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

A new off-road mode selector for the 4WD model improves off-road capability by adjusting engine power, transmission settings and brake power. New AC power outlet and USB input positions at the rear also provide improved usability for all passengers.

Last year, Mitsubishi sold a total of 77,000 units of the Pajero Sport globally, and the 2019 model will be launched in 90 markets worldwide, Mitsubishi said.

The Japanese automaker plans to slash more than 10,000 jobs in a cost-cutting move to address its financial problems. The company’s profits have fallen to a near-decade low, and its alliance with  automaker Renault has been under strain since the ouster and arrest of Ghosn, who also served as chairman of the French company.

Details of the job cuts  at Nissan will be announced along with the company’s first-quarter earnings results tomorrow. It will mainly target workers at  underused factories in South America, and comes on the heels of the 4,800 job cuts announced in May.  It currently has a workforce of about 139,000.

In May, Nissan forecast a 28 pe cent drop in  annual operating profit, after a 45 per cent plunge the previous year, and warned of “a difficult business environment” for the next 12 months.

The company saw declining sales in the United States, where Ghosn had pushed  aggressively for market share.

Saikawa needs to address the strained ties with Renault, which owns 43 per cent of Nissan, though the France government has said it is willing to cut its stake in Renault, to improve the relationship.

Saikawa kept his job in a vote at an annual shareholders meeting in June, though he had to fight off advisory firms urging shareholders not to reappoint him, saying that he was groomed for leadership by Ghosn.

Ghosn on the offensive

The former CEO is currently under house arrest in Tokyo, and is reportedly suing Nissan in a Dutch court for “improper termination” of his contract.

Ghosn is accusing Nissan of breaching his contract as an employee of NMBV, the  joint subsidiary based in the Netherlands, and seeking up to 15 million euros in damages.

He is awaiting trial in Japan on charges of financial misconduct. He was held in jail for over 100 days before being granted bail and fired from all his management roles.

Ghosn is accused of under-reporting millions of dollars in income at Nissan and of using company funds for personal expenses. He has denied all charges.

Nissan Motor (Thailand) Co Ltd  has refused all requests for comment on the matter.

“That has to wait till Thursday’s  announcement,” a source at Nissan Motor (Thailand) Co Ltd said.

The president of Toyota Motor Thailand Co Ltd (TMT), Michinobu Sugata, said that a total of 523,770 vehicles were sold in the country during the first half of the year.

“This is another interesting year for the automobile market to test whether the good momentum from last year can be maintained. For the first six months, due to the introduction of new models and marketing activities of various brands auto sales rose,” he said at a press conference in Bangkok on Wednesday.

He said all market segments had experienced growth, with the passenger car market rising by 8.5 per cent (206,540 units) and the commercial vehicle market growing by 6.2 per cent (317,230 units).

“The market for the first half of the year has been better than our initial expectations based on the continued strength of the Thai economy. However in June, the auto market declined year on year for the first time in 30 months,” he said.

Sugata noted that Thai consumer sentiment, because of uncertainty in the global economy, may influence the auto market during the second half of the year. He said Toyota remained confident of the 2019 target of 1 million units being sold in the Thai market, which would still be a 4 per cent decline year on year.

“We expect the Thai auto market to maintain the 1-million-unit level for the second consecutive year,” he said.

Other forecasts include sales of 387,229 passenger car units (down 3.1 per cent) and sales of 612,769 commercial vehicle units including one-ton pickup trucks and pickup passenger vehicles.

Toyota, meanwhile, plans to maintain its 2019 sales target of 330,000 vehicles for a 33 per cent market share and 4.7 per cent growth year on year. Sugata said Toyota plans to launch more new models in order to achieve its target.

During the first half of 2019, Toyota exported a total of 138,538 vehicles, down 5 per cent year on year.

“We maintain our CBU [Completely Built Up] vehicle export forecast this year at 270,000 units with a negative growth of 8 per cent compared to last year, as a result of the ongoing difficult situation in the Central and South America and Oceania regions,” he said. “As for our production, our performance will be in alignment with the local and international auto market situation. As a consequence, our 2019 total production outlook continues to be 577,000 units, a 2 per cent reduction from last year.”

During the first six months, Toyota was the top-selling brand in the market with aggregate sales of 171,502 units (20.8 per cent growth, 32.7 per cent market share), followed by pickup expert Isuzu with 89,177 units (3.3 per cent growth, 17 per cent market share) and Honda with 64,699 units (8.1 per cent growth, 12.4 per cent market share).

The company’s new streamlined organisational structure will help it thrive in an evolving and disruptive period for the automotive industry by improving its operational fitness and efficiency.

The formation of the new International Markets Group (IMG) brings together dozens of richly diverse markets including Australia and New Zealand, India, South Africa, Thailand, and a number of emerging and distributor markets. This follows the Company’s establishment and elevation of its China operations as a standalone business unit in late 2018.

Mark Ovenden was named president, IMG, effective April 1, and is based in Dearborn, Michigan with a small central office leadership team for IMG, while other members of the IMG leadership team will be based in key global markets.

One of these key global markets is Thailand, which will continue as one of the Company’s key manufacturing hubs, now under the International Markets Group. Thailand will also serve as the base for the IMG Manufacturing Operations team, the Global Trucks Enterprise Product Line Management (EPLM) team, as well as the Marketing Communications centre of excellence.

As a result of the organisational restructuring, Yukontorn “Vickie” Wisadkosin is appointed president, Asean Markets, and takes on the additional role of International Markets Group Marketing & Sales Coordination, IMG. She will remain based in Bangkok and report directly to Mark Ovenden.

In this expanded role, Yukontorn will continue to oversee the company’s operations in Asean markets including the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea and Thailand, where she will work closely with Wichit Wongwatthanakan, managing director, Ford Thailand.

She will also coordinate the Centre of Excellence for Marketing and Sales to support and serve the IMG markets in marketing communications, sales planning, revenue management and network development.

Ford also announced three new leadership appointments as part of the reorganised team.

Adjima Wannapintu is named marketing director, Ford Thailand, reporting to Wichit. Prior to this, Adjima served as product marketing manager, Asia Pacific Operations.

Nuttaporn Sukapintha is appointed marketing and sales controller, Ford Thailand, and marketing and sales business plan, International Markets Group. Nattaporn was previously finance controller, Ford Asean

Kamolchanok Prasertsom is appointed communications director, Ford Thailand and Asean Markets. Kamolchanok previously served as Ford brand and product communications director, Asia Pacific, based in Shanghai, China. Prior to that, she was communications manager, Ford Asean.