Clark, Philippines – Nissan has kicked off its South East Asian regional launching sequence for its new Terra PPV (Pickup Passenger Vehicle), which is manufactured at its Samut Prakarn assembly plant in Thailand.
The Terra was officially introduced in the Philippines on Monday (May 28) with first deliveries scheduled for August. It will be introduced in Thailand and Indonesia within this fiscal year (ending March 2019), according to a statement from Nissan Asia Oceania.
Other markets that will get the Terra include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
Nissan hopes that the Terra will become popular in the South East Asian region due to rising demand for midsized SUVs.
“The new Nissan Terra is being built in and for South East Asia. It demonstrates our commitment to making innovation accessible to more customers in the region,” said Yutaka Sanada, Nissan’s regional senior vice president for the Asia and Oceania region.
“This Terra also marks the latest step in our product offensive for the region. This is an important part of delivering Nissan’s mid-term business plan Nissan M.O.V.E. 2022 for this region,” Sanada said.
The Terra made its global debut when it was first launched in China in April this year.
It features 7 seats and Nissan claims the Terra has “best in class” cabin space. The second row seats have folding and tumbling functions.
The Terra comes with a five-link coil spring rear suspension, along with 4WD-DIFF lock system and Hill Start Assist/Hill Descent Control.
For the Philippines market, Nissan offers the YD25 diesel engine, claiming best acceleration performance in its class, with its 190 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque.
Being a 2018 model year Nissan, the Terra features the Nissan Intelligent Mobility assistance system including Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Warning and Intelligent Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection. It’s also the first SUV with the Smart Rear View Mirror system featuring a camera mounted at the back.
In Thailand, Nissan also offers the X-Trail SUV with prices starting at Bt.125 million (Bt1.15 million with this month’s promotion) for the entry-level 2.0S 2WD model, and entry of the Terra into the market could result in cannibalization. However, the X-Trail is also available with a hybrid powertrain and would appeal to customers looking for more “car-like” SUV or crossover.
Nissan, which first assembled cars in Thailand in 1963 with a capacity of 4 units per day, presently has two vehicle assembly plants located in Samut Prakarn province with a combined production capacity of 370,000 units per year.
