Nissan 2014 Annual Report Download - page 14

company is piloting new customer sales techniques and data analysis that
could be used by different dealer group’s. The goal is for every dealership to
match the brand values and messaging portrayed in Nissan’s advertising
campaigns. By doing so, dealers hope to secure better customer loyalty,
enhancing their transaction pricing and reducing per-vehicle incentives.
Achieving that goal also depends on a steady stream of new, award-
winning products. This is the fourth priority area for Palmer.
Since the start of the Power 88 mid-term plan, Nissan has launched
more than two dozen new products, including vehicles such as the Sentra,
Note, DAYZ and Altima that are core to Nissan’s brand appeal. The next
generation of products, including the new Rogue and Qashqai, have been
designed to reinforce the company’s brand power in markets such as North
America and Western Europe, where they are highy accoladed. The product
offensive also reflects benefits from the longstanding Renault-Nissan
Alliance, which enables both Nissan and Renault to achieve greater
economies of scale in product development, procurement and engineering.
The next-generation Micra, for example, will be assembled at a Renault plant
in northern France and will utilize components from the Renault-Nissan
common module family. To ensure such vehicles meet customer expectations,
Palmer has created a team of “chief vehicles assessment specialists.”
Behaving like the most demanding customers, the team tests every new
product during its development process to ensure the new-generation cars
deliver on their promised performance. “They represent the most demanding
customers,” he adds. “It’s the next step to ensure we build our brand appeal.”
As part of this product planning strategy, Nissan is continuing to press
ahead with innovations in electric vehicles, development of autonomous drive
models and other advanced technologies that will position the company to
meet long-term changes in customer demand. Pioneering technologies in
zero-emissions and autonomous drive systems are expected to help Nissan
address a future marketplace in which customers expect greater automation,
improved connectivity, reduced environmental impact and different forms of
ownership.
Palmer cites the LEAF as an example of Nissan innovating in advance of
consumer demand. He points out that global LEAF sales have exceeded the
most successful hybrid vehicles at the same point of its life cycle. He predicts
that electric vehicles will become the inevitable solution to the pollution
threats in the world’s growing number of mega-cities.
In the fifth and final focus area in his portfolio, Palmer is concentrating
on developing Infiniti as the first truly premium brand conceived and built in
Asia, serving worldwide markets. Palmer says the brand is emerging as a
viable competitor to European leaders in the luxury-premium segment with a
model range that will appeal to a wide range of customers.
Looking across the three brands, Palmer acknowledges each is at a
different stage of development. He expects the core Nissan brand to reach an
inflection point in 2014, harnessing its improving brand and sales power to lift
both volumes and margins. Infiniti’s brand and product strategy − described as
“a 10-year journey” − is expected to deliver results towards the end of the
Power 88 plan. Datsun, by comparison, is just starting to build a global
presence among the rising group of aspirational motorists in high growth
markets. “All this will not be achieved overnight, but we are making progress,”
Palmer concludes. “My role is to extract the best out of the company with our
teams while championing the interests of the customer. It’s not just my
passion − it’s a passion of Nissan.”
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NISSAN MOTOR CORPORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014
EXECUTIVE PROFILE
CONTENTS
CORPORATE FACE TIME
PERFORMANCE
NISSAN POWER 88
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
CEO MESSAGE