Turbo Zone

MANILA, Philippines, Dec. 12, 2013 — Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (NML) today announced the establishment of Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI), a new joint venture formed with long time partners Universal Motors Corporation (UMC) and Nissan Motor Philippines, Inc. (NMPI).

NPI, to be headquartered in Manila, will start operations as the new national sales company for the Philippines from early 2014 and will be responsible for strengthening branding, marketing and sales strategy, and dealer operations in the Filipino market. NPI intends to reinforce brand and sales power by broadening the product lineup and strengthening sales and services across the nation.

“With the establishment of NPI, Nissan will proactively improve and enhance Nissan’s brand awareness in the Philippines. We will introduce new and exciting products into the market and strive to improve total customer experience,” said Kenji Naito, the newly-assigned president of NPI.

Naito joined Nissan in 1985 and has held key positions in various markets including Japan, New Zealand and South Africa. From 2005 to 2008, he was vice president, corporate planning, at Nissan Motor (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and most recently, served as CEO of Nissan Korea Co., Ltd.

The new company is capitalized at 1.0 billion yen (US$9.8 million), with Nissan holding a 51% stake in the company, while UMC and NMPI own 24.5% each. UMC and NMPI will remain as production sources of Nissan vehicles in the Philippines. Nissan is committed driving growth across the ASEAN region. A key target of the ASEAN mid-term plan is to more than triple sales across the region to 500,000 units and achieve 15% market share by the end of 2016. Nissan considers the Filipino market as an important component of this plan, and the establishment of NPI is an illustration of the company’s commitment to the Philippines.

“This is an important milestone for Nissan,” said Takayuki Kimura, regional vice president, NML. “With NPI now as the unified voice of Nissan in the Philippines, we will be bolder and more proactive in expanding our business in this market. I would like to thank UMC and NMPI for their accomplishments to date, and we look forward to continuing to build our presence in the Philippines through this new partnership.”

Note: The rate is 100 Yen per 0.98 U.S. dollar, based on the exchange rate as of Nov, 2013.

 

Source: Nissan Global Co., Ltd.

The British automaker, keen to expand its footprint in the luxury goods space, leapt at the opportunity to intersect with the customers of an upscale gentleman’s grooming shop in London. customers. This comes on the heels of a collection of leather handbags, a line of high-end furniture and even a signature scent. A team of leathercrafters refitted the barber chairs, reworking the suspension for greater comfort. Headrest foams were hand-shaped and the arms were extended to support the clients’ hands. The chairs’ also reflected colors and trims from the Bentley range. Fire Glow leather features vertical stitching inspired by the Continental GT range, and diamond stitching on the Burnt Oak chairs evokes the Mulliner specification.

Source: BBC Autos

Ford’s decision to use aluminum body panels on the 2015 F-150 is coming back to haunt them as a report is indicating that problems with the lightweight material have pushed the launch back by approximately three months. According to The Truth About Cars, aluminum shipments from suppliers have failed to meet specifications so the company is having problems forming the material. The suppliers are now under pressure to fix the problems, as soon as possible, so Ford can prevent further delays and launch the model by the end of 2014. Ford has remain relatively quiet about the 2015 F-150 but previous reports have indicated the switch to aluminum body panels could enable the truck to weigh 700 pounds (317 kg) less than its predecessor.

Source: World Car Fans

There’s a very small chance that you might see this beautiful Aston Martin CC 100 on the road one day, as two of them were built for road use. The car was made in celebration of Aston Martin’s 100-year history and calls on the 1959 Le Mans and Nürburgring winning race car DBR1 for inspired design. The car was built in only 6 months (maybe that’s why it had trouble starting) and debuted at the ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of Nürburgring race this year, driven by Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez.

Source: Complex Rides

Which cars would YOU like to see in your garage? (Image from Speed Hunters)