There’s a lot of anxiety with Nissan these days as their financial woes keep making headlines globally. How much are we going to be affected in the Philippines? Will our Nissan cars lack support in the coming future? We were able to talk with the new President of Nissan Philippines and he assured us that we are safe and strong.
Masao Tsutsumi was appointed as the new President of Nissan Philippines effective April 1, 2025. However he was only granted his work permit at the end of May, so he spent that time observing the Philippine market, the news coming from Japan, and hearing the concerns of the dealers.
“It does not impact the Philippine market operations,” according to Tsutsumi. “Some dealer told me if Nissan might exit and I said no way. No way. We’ll be here”
Word also reached him that some rivals are fanning flames by dissuading customers from buying Nissan cars. The ongoing troubles of the main company were said to affect the cars in the future as parts may not be supplied. Tsutsumi easily quashed this, saying it will never happen.
Nissan has two production plants in Thailand where we get some of our Nissan cars. Plant 1 produces the Almera and Kicks e-Power while the second one manufactures the Navara and Terra. Former Nissan Motor Corporation CEO Makoto Uchida said previously that they’ll be shutting down the first plant. It was later cleared that it will be repurposed instead from a production line of the Almera and Kicks into a body and press shop, with the two vehicles moving to Plant 2 which will be upgraded to handle higher vehicle production.
New models coming
Tsutsumi also said that the market has changed since the influx of Chinese brands in the country. He also acknowledged that some cars in their lineup are aging. They’re not sitting around though.
“Nissan is now fighting back,” Tsutsumi said. They’re launching 3-4 models starting next year, until 2030 although he hinted that 1 “may be” launched this year (as the Magnite was already previewed last PIMS 2024). The cars will be a mix of all-new and replacement models, as well as electrified by e-Power, Plug-in Hybrid, or battery EV.
Apart from the cars, Nissan Philippines is also looking at new sources of offerings. Currently we get most of our cars from Thailand and Japan. Tsutsumi-san didn’t say anywhere specific but it’s worth noting they have production plants in China, Indonesia, and India where other brands also get cars to sell here.
There will also be new dealerships in Cavite, Bulacan, and Bukidnon that will be opened this year to add to their current 58 dealerships nationwide.
