Nissan will re-enter the rental market next year with “selected partners” who share the same values, according to managing director Paul Willcox.
The carmaker has been out of the sector for two years because it wanted to support RVs and wanted to reduce fast-cycle volume said Willcox.
“We do feel there is a role for rental with Nissan,” he said, adding that Motability has “covered a large percentage of the gap” from rental and there has also been big gains in leasing in the last two years.
Acceptance in fleet has grown due to the success of the Qashqai, he said – and overall market share is up a third year-to-date at 4.1% of the fleet market.
Willcox hopes this will be 4.5% by the end of the year: “I’ll be disappointed if we don’t get to 5% market share next year with products like Micra and Juke.
“We see Leaf as very important for us. It is big business for the brand and shows leadership with electric vehicles. It is the first full-size EV to launch and will bring new people to the brand, despite not being a car for everyone.”
There will only be 2000 units sold in the first 12 months due to production limitations, but Willcox said there is a number of blue-chip companies set to buy the Leaf direct from the carmaker.
Nissan is currently trying to improve its business operations by increasing dealer capability to service fleets. Despite this, it has reduced the number of its network supplying fleet but maintains those remaining are more focused yet still placed strategically to cover the UK market. It now has 45 corporate centres, which account for around a quarter of its 185 dealerships.
Willcox concluded: “We need to give confidence with our products. We are putting a huge amount of effort into building RVs by creating right products with the right amount. For example, the Qashqai RVs are top of the segment. We need to consistently deliver confidence.”
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