Nissan Navara 2007 News

Nissan is recalling 40,400 (out of as many as 90,000 4x4 models it sold in the time period) of its Navara D40 series, manufactured in Spain between July 2005 and January 2010, for an inspection.A redesigned Nissan replacement towbar (with additional mounting points) and welded repairs to any chassis cracks - some as wide as 2.5mm according to owners - will be completed for those with faulty genuine Nissan towbars.But Navara owners who opted for an aftermarket set-up with cracks in the chassis rails could face repair bills of $1000 or more.The company said the problem relates to faulty towbar designs specific to the Spanish-built D40 ST-X and RX model Navara and while 40,400 vehicles were being recalled for inspection under this campaign, around 9800 were fitted with the affected Nissan genuine towbars.The D40 Navara starts from around $35,000 and was launched here in late 2005 - all bar one 4x2 model is listed with a towing capacity of 3000kg when towing a trailer fitted with its own brakes, which has made the vehicle popular with tradesman and drivers towing heavy recreational vehicles.The Pathfinder SUV - also built on a ladder-frame chassis and rated to a braked towing capacity of three tonnes - was not impacted by the recall, according to Nissan.Spokesman Peter Fadeyev said the attachment points on the Navara's genuine towbars could cause excessive stress upon the chassis frame rails over time.``As a result, cracks can occur at the ends of the chassis rails,'' he said.``In extreme cases, sections of the chassis rails around the towbar may bend when a heavy tow load is applied,'' he said.Mr Fadeyev said the vehicle's towing capacity was not being altered.``The vehicle can still tow exactly what was identified in the owner's manual - that's the specification of the repair, the vehicle can still tow exactly what is identified as its capability in its manual from the start,'' he said.The company has agreed to inspect customer vehicles fitted with a non-genuine towbar at no charge to the customer, but any chassis repair or replacement to a new revised-design genuine Nissan towbar will be at cost to the customer, Mr Fadeyev said.The company said the inspection takes under 20 minutes to complete or the worst-case-scenario of inspection, repair and towbar replacement would be completed in under two hours.Navara owners looking for more information are being asked to contact their local Nissan dealer or call the Nissan Customer Assistance Centre on 1800 035 035.Nissan said it began recall proceedings following legislated procedures earlier this month, but the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) product recalls website as yet has no mention of the safety campaign.Nissan Navara 4WD utility annual sales:2005 -    9,6272006 - 14,3622007 - 18,2452008 - 16,1922009 - 16,4552010 - 19,424Total - 94,305 

Key among the changes is the addition of the V6 turbodiesel to more models in the D40 Navara line-up, given a few more customers access to the 170kW/550Nm powerplant from a lower price point.Safety has been improved, with the Japanese brand adding stability control - it's Vehicle Dynamic Control in Nissan-speak - and lap-sash belts for all five occupants, helping to get it a four-star NCAP crash-test rating.The 2012 ST-X dual-cab 4WD will be offered with the torquey three-litre V6 turbodiesel and a seven-speed automatic from $56,990, which Nissan says is about $4000 cheaper than the 2011 ST-X 550.Also on the features list for the ST-X is a SUB port for the sound system, fog lights and an alloy sports roll-bar.The 550 flagship has not gone unchanged, with the flagship "workhorse" getting a hard-drive-equipped satnav, leather trim, seat heaters, a satin-black sports roll-bar, a Bose sound system and a reversing camera, but the price has dropped by $2000 to $62,990 - Nissan says that's as a result of increased supply, but price cuts and new models from its primary competition might also have something to do with it.The volume seller of the range - the ST dual-cab 4WD has been endowed with the more powerful 140kW/450Nm 2.5-litre four-cylinder (previously there was 128kW and 403Nm on offer), gets a six-speed manual or five-speed auto, Utili Track load restraint system, dual-zone air conditioning, six airbags and sits standard on 17in alloy wheels.Both the turbodiesel V6 and 2.5-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder models have a braked towing capacity of 3000kg.Even the entry-level RX single-cab model has had the once-over, upgrading from a bench to bucket seats and adding carpet floor covering and rubber mats.Nissan Australia managing director and CEO (until the end of March) Dan Thompson said the revisions to the Navara range further strengthened Navara's aim to wrest leadership from Toyota in the highly competitive market."Navara is one of Nissan Australia's cornerstone products aimed at giving us No.1 importer status," he says."Despite the recent arrival of several newcomers in this highly competitive segment, Navara has comfortably maintained its popularity and market position."With the new Navara ST-X V6 turbo-diesel, the enhanced D40 Dual Cab 4X4 and keener pricing, we have new and sharper tools to maintain this momentum," he says.Nissan Australia has confirmed the appointment of William Peffer as incoming CEO and managing director from April onwards, when Dan Thompson takes up his new role as Vice President (Finance) for Nissan Europe, based in Switzerland.Mr Peffer, currently marketing, communications and media director at Nissan North America, holds a Bachelors Degree in Advertising Communications from Michigan State University and a Masters Degree in International Finance from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. 

... including some 29,000 of the D40 ST-X dual cab models on Australian roads. The issue is with cracks appearing in wheels in some isolated incidents, first noticed in Europe and with a handful of cases reported to dealers here. Nissan says no accident or incidents have been reported but, in rare cases, the alloy's spoke may crack if the vehicle is used under full-load conditions and cornered at high lateral acceleration. Owners are asked to take their Navaras to dealers for checks; if cracks are found the wheels will be replaced immediately. All wheels on the June, 2005 to July, 2008 models affected will be replaced at a later date as supply become available.

With the local car industry now at the halfway point in the 2007 sales race, it is easy to see who's winning and who's losing.Toyota is basking in the glory of not only being No.1, but also cementing its sales lead so convincingly that — barring a catastrophe — it will take out the sales crown this year.The Altona-based Japanese company is 40,404 vehicles clear of its nearest rival, Holden. It is also relishing the positive spin of the Corolla knocking off the Holden Commodore last month.But apart from Toyota, other players are also revelling in the good times.Of the importers, Mazda, Subaru, Suzuki and Peugeot managed strong June sales.Mazda sold 6932 cars, with the Mazda3 being the strongest seller on 3037.The company experienced the biggest market share gain of any importer.Its record half-yearly result is 20.3 per cent up on the same time last year, lifting market share from 6.7 per cent in 2006 to 7.5 per cent, a gain of 0.7 percentage points.Subaru's tally was 4085 for the month, with the Forester, Impreza and Liberty all breaking through 1000 sales.Suzuki, like many importers, was buoyed by keen end-of-financial year deals.It sold 2368 cars for the month, bringing its year-to-date tally to 10,910 vehicles, a 43 per cent lift over last year.Of the French, an ever-expanding Peugeot line-up continues to bolster sales, but Renault flops around due to a lack of new product.Peugeot sold 1016 vehicles last month, bringing its year-to-date run-rate to 4549, a 13 per cent lift over last year. The 307 continues to be Peugeot's best seller.By contrast, Renault has a year-to-date total of 1431 vehicles, 32 cars fewer than last year.Even Saab experienced some solid growth, albeit off a low base, as the 9-3 turbodiesel helped lift the marque's appeal.Saab sold 336 cars last month, its best month for 10 years, taking its year-to-date tally to 1148, a 170 per cent lift over last year.The X-Trail, Tiida and Navara continue to drive Nissan sales. The Japanese importer sold 5845 vehicles last month with 31,176 year-to-date, a 20 per cent lift over last year.The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries monthly Vfacts figures show that most of the extra volume last month was generated by the light, small and medium car segments.A breakdown of large car sales shows that Holden sold 5588 Commodores last month, Ford 3206 Falcons, Toyota 2626 Aurions and Mitsubishi just 877 380 V6s.All three were eclipsed by the new four-cylinder Corolla, which secured 5890 sales.But a finer look at the figures shows that much of the Corolla's success was down to fleet purchases and pent-up demand for the new car, which spiked figures.But a sale is a sale. Holden's own figures point out that 29 per cent of VE Commodores are bought by private buyers, as opposed to 18.6 per cent for the VT Commodore.Apart from the Corolla, other small car stars were the Mitsubishi Lancer with 2143 sales, Holden Astra 1763 and Ford Focus 1550.Of the tiddlers, Toyota again ruled last month. The Yaris managed 2926 sales against 2486 for the Hyundai Getz, 1361 for the Kia Rio, 1351 for the Suzuki Swift and 1392 for the Honda Jazz.Despite the dominance of the light, small and medium segments, large cars were up 3.7 per cent in June and, in year-to-date terms, are running 5.1 per cent ahead of last year.However, Ford's overall market share has slipped 2 per cent and Holden's by almost 1 per cent, despite its Korean strategy, which was hoping to deliver an increased share.Mitsubishi is a bit stronger, experiencing a 0.6 per cent overall drop in share and, despite Toyota's increasing sales, its share has increased by only about 0.6 per cent.One of the more interesting results was for the Ford Fairlane.Ford sold 149 Fairlanes, bolstered by the news that the long-wheelbase sedan will be axed at the end of the year.Dealers are also reporting a slight pick-up in interest for the car from fleets.Overall, the year-to-date sales figure of 524,376 means that a record 1 million market is likely by December.   Top 10 makes  1 Toyota 24,5392 Holden 14,2563 Ford 10,3044 Mitsubishi 81945 Mazda 69326 Nissan 58457 Honda 57508 Hyundai 50239 Subaru 408510 Volkswagen 2848 Top 10 models1 Toyota Corolla 58902 Holden Commodore 55883 Toyota HiLux 42494 Ford Falcon 32065 Mazda3 30376 Toyota Yaris 29267 Toyota Camry 26458 Toyota Aurion 26269 Hyundai Getz 248610 Mitsubishi Lancer 2143 

Small, economical cars powered record January sales, 9.9 per cent up on the same month last year. VFACTS show it was a close contest at the top of the chart, with the small Corolla beating the big Commodore by 11 sales — 3485 to 3474.Holden played down the defeat — five months after the new model went on sale — noting that few businesses buy cars so early in the year."In January, fleet sales are softer so it is no surprise that the whole large-car segment is slightly down," GM Holden marketing manager Alan Batey says.He says there is a strong future for Holden's best-selling car, despite the surge in sales of small cars, such as the Corolla."The Commodore remained the best-selling car in the country last year for the 11th year in a row," Batey says.There were not many smiles at Ford either — it sold only 1974 Falcons last month, despite a drive-away deal and free six-speed automatic and stability control.Ford Australia says the Falcon result is the worst since 1990, when it began to keep accurate sales records.Ford Australia spokeswoman Sinead McAlary says the drive-away Falcon deal was not successful.Sales in the light-car segment (which includes models such as the Toyota Yaris) were up 14.3 per cent on last January.Sales of small cars (including models such as the Corolla) were up a huge 26.3 per cent, and large cars were down 0.9 per cent.The Mazda3 continued to sell strongly; January sales of 3347 put it third on the chart, 138 behind the Corolla. Other small cars to make the top 10 included the Astra (2239) and Ford Focus (1665). Mitsubishi's Lancer finished just outside the top 10 with 1527 sales, the company's best-selling car.The Hilux (2781) and Yaris (2498) were strong again, but Toyota's larger cars were off the pace. The Camry did not make the top 10 with 1347, and the new Aurion continued its slow start with 1125.The Falcon ute struggled with 834, but outsold Holden's Commodore ute with 697.Ford's Territory responded to a $4000 cashback deal to notch 1343, in front of the Holden Captiva (577) and Toyota Kluger (389). WHAT'S SELLINGTOP 10 MAKES1 Toyota 16,2382 Holden 11,2583 Ford 75014 Mazda 66275 Honda 54356 Nissan 50857 Mitsubishi 45548 Subaru 30979 Hyundai 306710 Volkswagen 2034TOP 10 MODELS1 Toyota Corolla 34852 Holden Commodore 34743 Mazda3 33474 Toyota Hilux 27815 Toyota Yaris 24986 Holden Astra 22397 Ford Falcon 19748 Nissan Navara 18749 Ford Focus 166510 Holden Barina 1563