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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016 BUSINESS Innovative technology driving Nissan’s growth in Middle East Q&A with Samir Cherfan, Managing Director of Nissan Middle East Kuwait Times: What are your views on the we witnessed an increase of 9.5 percent to step - is to secure both the regulatory frame- car is involved in a collision. nance is steady is one of the leading features whatever the terrain. performance of the automotive sector in the 7,222,000. To sum it up, the company sold 2.62 work and consumer adoption to make Nissan has already started pre-installing a of our all-new Nissan Maxima 2016. Nissan’s KT: Do you think the auto sector’s growth GCC region? million vehicles globally during the period, a autonomous driving a reality. small device within the car, which will be con- safety rating and commitment to keep total in the GCC will slow down as the market is 1.3 percent rise year-on-year, and that is some- At Nissan we are already working with nected via an Etisalat M2M SIM card. Nissan’s cost of maintenance very competitive across over-served? thing that we are very proud about. industry leaders to seek workable regulatory partnership with Etisalat on this strategic proj- the Middle East will bolster sales substantially Cherfan: Our regional strategy for success In 2015 Nissan was also named as one of standards. We have shown, in road tests, how ect ensures the smart application will run suc- over the coming years. Additionally a host of is based on the well-known Nissan global the world’s most valuable brands, according to new technologies such as automatic lane- cessfully on any smartphone, operating system factors contribute to the Nissan Maxima’s low- growth strategy ‘Power 88’, which our CEO Interbrand, the world-leading brand consul- changing and automated parking can enhance or service network. er running costs such as greater fuel efficiency, Carlos Ghosn announced we would achieve tancy. In its Best Global Brands Study 2015, the driving experience, and make it safer. All this shows that Nissan is pioneering a new technologies, build quality, durability and by 2016. Under the Power 88 Mid Term plan which also named Nissan as the fastest-rising There is a big difference between more intuitive partnership between car and safety. we have announced Nissan Middle East tar- automotive brand, Nissan ranked 49, up from autonomous drive technology championed by driver, relieving the motorists of tasks that can In terms of its safety features, the all new geting to sell over 300K units by FY16 and 56 in 2014. The study also valued Nissan’s Nissan, and self-driving cars. Autonomous be safely automated. Nissan Maxima’s next-generation premium- reach 10 percent Market Share in the whole brand at $9.082 billion, up 19 percent from Drive is about relieving motorists of everyday KT: What are the new technologies that level technology features includes a standard region and 14.5 percent Market Share in the 2014. tasks, particularly in congested or long-dis- your brand has adopted in terms of improving 7.0-inch Advanced Drive Assist Display (ADAD) GCC. KT: Which was the biggest market in tance situations. The driver remains in control, vehicle performance, efficiency, safety etc.? within the instrument cluster. The vehicle Under the Power 88 Mid Term plan, Nissan GCC/Middle East, what were the best perform- at the wheel, of a car that is capable of doing Cherfan: As a customer centric company, boasts an extensive range of safety, security Middle East is focusing on Brand Power with ing models, and where did you see maximum more things automatically. Self-driving cars, by we try and understand what is important to and driving aids, including Predictive Forward the constant renewal of our Line-up. This growth? comparison, don’t require any human interven- our perspective buyers and then ensure that Collision Warning (PFCW), Intelligent Cruise includes engagement with our audiences, in Cherfan: Earlier in May 2015, we tion - and remain a long-way from commercial we can offer models that offer the features that Control (ICC), Forward Emergency Braking particular the youth, through unique and dif- announced our financial results for our 2014 reality. They are suitable only for tightly-con- people need. (FEB), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (CTA) and Blind ferentiating platforms such as GT Academy, fiscal year (April 1st to 31st March), which trolled road-environments, at slow speeds, and Spot Warning (BSW). which takes virtual gamers and transforms demonstrated that in the UAE, Nissan main- face a regulatory minefield. Performance with the All New NISMO Line-Up The all new Nissan Maxima 2016 also offers them into racers. In addition to this, we are tained its strong No 2 position in the sales That is why Nissan is focused on In terms of offering new models with an available Driver Attention Alert (DAA) sys- focusing on Sales Power with quality and charts, selling 63,036 units - up by 10 percent autonomous drive technologies that we know improved performance, Nissan just launched tem which monitors steering input patterns to quantity of the network, and a strong empha- versus 2013 and achieving 15.3 percent mar- will work, and can be introduced over the next our motorsport brand, NISMO in the Middle establish a baseline and helps alert the driver sis on customer experience excellence. Samir Cherfan, Managing ket share. Nissan’s purchase consideration in 4 to 5 years. We aim to be ready with revolu- East. By bringing the ‘NISMO’ Brand to the when drowsy or inattentive driving is detected As an example and as a proof to our con- Director of Nissan Middle East the UAE has also increased by 46 percent in tionary, commercially viable autonomous driv- Middle East, we are proving our passion for (only on Nissan Maxima SR grade). stant line up renewal over the last months we the past two years, closing the gap with the ing technology by 2020, with a goal of bringing performance, as well as heralding the next step In addition, the all new Nissan Maxima have launched the all new Nissan Maxima market leader. the next two autonomous-drive technologies in ‘Innovation that Excites’ for regional motor- 2016 showcases ‘Safety Shield’, which is a sys- 2016 and introduced the performance arm of Cherfan: If we look at the overall perform- In KSA, after the first full year of operation to market by 2016. sports enthusiasts. tem of cameras, sensors and actuators that Nissan in the region known as NISMO with the ance of the automotive sector on a calendar of its revival plan, Nissan with its Kingdom An example of this technology is our As part of our performance road car line- monitors risk all around the car and can help announcement of a world premiere - the year basis then the GCC market is considered wide dealer Alissa Auto has reached the 3rd “Safety Shield” - a system of cameras, sensors up, we showcased three NISMO models - the to avert an accident. This includes fully-auto- Nissan Patrol NISMO. In addition, we also stable. However, we have seen a recent pro- position in sales with 61,806 units, reaching 7.2 and actuators that monitors risk all around the 370Z NISMO, the GT-R NISMO, and the Patrol mated parking systems and a traffic-jam pilot, launched the Nissan Patrol Desert Edition in gressive market decline over the last couple of percent market share, which represents 141.7 car and can help to avert an accident. This NISMO. The Patrol NISMO was a world-pre- in which cars will have the capability to drive collaboration with the Middle East’s most months. When operating in tough market con- percent growth year on year vs FY13. includes fully-automated parking systems and miere for Nissan as we could not have autonomously and safely on congested high- famous and influential motorsports personali- ditions, we need to be more dynamic and Furthermore Nissan Brand Purchase a traffic-jam pilot, in which cars will have the launched NISMO in the region without includ- ways. ty, Dr Mohammed Ben Sulayem. To continue make an effort to be closer to the needs of our Consideration has strengthened by 27 percent capability to drive autonomously and safely on ing our most iconic model - the Nissan Patrol - KT: What are the major challenges for the keeping our consumers at core and providing customers. reaching the second position in the market. congested highways. This will be followed in in the range of NISMO vehicles. auto sector/your brand in the GCC? with best auto experience, we launched the At Nissan, we have continued to deliver In our last financial year, the Nissan line-up 2018 by the introduction of multiple-lane con- We Recognized that off-roading and Cherfan: In addition to the oil price and ‘Nissan SmartCar’ mobile app in collaboration against our Power 88 brand strategy into our has performed extremely well across the spec- trols, allowing cars to autonomously negotiate motorsports form the life-blood of regional currency fluctuation challenges which we with Etisalat. financial year 2015, adding to our constant trum but sales of the famed Patrol, dubbed the hazards and change lanes. Before the end of drive enthusiasts, therefore we believe the time highlighted earlier, it is about constantly listen- At Nissan, we strive to create unique expe- line-up of models available in the region. As riences to engage with our audiences. Our proof of this we have launched the all new ‘Nissan Patrol: The Movie’ activation at the Nissan Maxima 2016 and also introduced the recent Dubai International Motor Show is an performance arm of Nissan in the region - example of reaching out to our direct and indi- known as NISMO.