QOTD: Can Nissan Get Rolling?
We reported this morning on Nissan's plans to roll out new versions of the Armada, Murano, and Rogue as part of a plan to revitalize the brand and generate more sales.
Will it work?
Obviously, it depends on how good the new products are. Personally, I don't think Nissan's offerings are the worst on the market, but many do feel a bit outdated and/or downmarket. It might help for the company to switch away from CVTs to "standard" automatic transmissions. I'd also advise Nissan to really put more money and effort into new models and redesigns -- the fact that the new Z is something like 80 percent old Z suggests a company that is trying not to spend, even if it could. Then again, the new Z is pretty darn good, even with those old bones, so maybe Nissan is just being cost-effective. It's easy for me to criticize from behind a keyboard, after all.
Ahem, I digress. I am asking you, the B and B, to weigh in and let us know if you think a new product offensive from Nissan would boost sales.
The company certainly seems capable of understanding how to improve its offerings. The latest Pathfinder is much better than the soft-roader it replaced, and if it can move the Murano a bit more upscale while holding the line on price, that will help. The Rogue may be bland, but it exhibits basic competence and is a perfectly fine crossover -- making a few tweaks to make it stand out more can't hurt. Finally, with a new Infiniti QX80 on the way, Nissan has a chance to bring the Armada into the present while keeping to its mission as a large people and cargo mover.
What say you?
Sound off below.
[Image: Nissan]
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Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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Nissan could have the best auto lineup of any carmaker (they don't), but until they improve one major issue, the best cars out there won't matter. That is the dealership experience. Year after year in multiple customer service surveys from groups like JD Power and CR, Nissan frequency scrapes the bottom.
Personally, I really like the never seen new Z, but after having several truly awful Nissan dealer experiences, my shadow will never darken a Nissan showroom. I'm painting with broad strokes here, but maybe it is so ingrained in their culture to try to take advantage of people who might not be savvy enough in the buying experience that they by default treat everyone like idiots and saps.
All of this has to be frustrating to Nissan HQ as they are improving their lineup but their dealers drag them down.
I lost interest in Nissan vehicles years ago after they killed off the 300Z the first time. Good luck!