Saudi Gazette (July 31st 2002)

“Nissan Motor Co. chief executive Carlos Ghosn spoke at the launch of the new Z sports car, the vehicle that first made the company’s name in the United States and one it now hopes will symbolize the rebirth of the brand, in Tokyo on Tuesday. First launched in 1969, the Z became the world’s best-selling sports car, a history that Nissan, after two years of drastic restructuring, wants to draw on as it sets on a fresh path of product-led growth”.



Patrol Salesmen Trip to Singapore

Dubai-(July 2002)- In addition to keeping their customers satisfied, Nissan Middle East FZE (NMEF) maintain their steady efforts to motivate their own staff, especially their dedicated salesmen. Nissan Middle East organized a trip to Tan Chong Motors, Nissan's National Sales Company (NSC) in Singapore for thirteen top Nissan Patrol salesmen from the Gulf region's NSCs between the 26th and 30th of June 2002.

Two officials from Nissan Middle East officials, H. Morie, Marketing Manager, and Gurcan Aba, Assistant Manager of Sales Department, accompanied the delegation of NSC salesmen.

Nissan Middle East aimed and succeeded in creating an annual event that will motivate the Patrol salesmen, train them by providing the chance of interaction with the crew of Tan Chong Motors (the winner of the "Customer Satisfaction No.1" for their advanced customer database management system) and the rest of the region's salesmen. One of the trip's main objective was to eventually build a good relationship between NMEF and NSCs' top salesmen through an innovative form of exchange of sales experience.

The core three "training" activities during this trip to Singapore were the "Sharing of Best Practice" meeting, the visit to Tan Chong Motors, and visits to competitors' showrooms. The first involved sessions in which the different salesmen exchanged their ideas on the most effective sales tools from unique displays, to an attentive and innovative approach with customers, and the crucial role of test-drives.

Next came the visit to Tan Chong Motors where Mr B.Hiew, General Manager of Sales Department at Tan Chong Motors and Ms. Chan Mi Ki, Executive, Marketing Communication greeted the salesmen and spoke of implementing the Customer Satisfaction System; a rendition of NSSW- Nissan Sales Service Way. Tan Chong Motors, which is the market leader in sales between 18,500 and 20,000 annually for the last three years, employs a staff of 130 and is also in the forefront in customer satisfaction by implementing various activities including standardized sales process and advanced IT system to help sales staff and customers.

The NSC salesmen also visited the competitors' showrooms such as Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Volvo, Peugeot, VW, Audi, Subaru, and Chrysler to evaluate and monitor their display and their staff's sales capabilities and techniques.

All the participants rated the trip, travel arrangements and training sessions as very satisfying. The participating salesmen from the GCC expressed their delight at having been part of such an event and expressed their interest in qualifying for similar events in the future.



Nissan Patrol 2002 wins the 'Car of The Year' Award

Dubai- On the 50th anniversary of the Nissan Patrol, and few months after the launch of the 2002 model, Future Television, Automobile Magazine and Wheels and Gears Magazine, combined together granted the new Nissan Patrol the 'Car of The Year Award' in the large SUV category.

The Nissan Patrol was not elected by any group of people or journalists, however, it was chosen to be the car of the year by experts who evaluate cars objectively and base their decisions on well-selected criteria of features.

After thorough test-driving experiments, the cars are judged by their technology, safety, price and the after sale service, in addition to the support they get from their manufacturers and dealers. As for the large SUV category, it was the most contested category due to its importance in the GCC markets and the aggressive competition as well.

Nissan Patrol seemed to fulfill all these requirements, due to its advanced technology in terms of its 4800 VTC engine, its automatic transmission with manual shift mode, its electronically controlled power steering, the 4-wheel mode and its superior safety features.

With this award, the Nissan Patrol proved to be back on top as the king of the desert, and once again proved to exceed competition.



Nissan Patrol wins the "4x4 of the Year"

Dubai- (February 27th 2002)-Nissan's Patrol ST TB48 has won 4x4 of the year against 22 other 4WD vehicles competing on Australian ground. The award that was granted by 4x4 Australia magazine is the chief in the 4x4 category and is given after thorough inspection and testing of the vehicles.

The ability of Nissan's Patrol to constantly head into new territory has just gotten bigger when the Patrol (ST 4.8) came out on top beating five other 4WD that made the finalists' list including the Mercedes Benz ML430 and Toyota 78 series.

Also noteworthy is the clear absence of the Patrol's main rival- Landcruiser wagon models- from the list of six finalists.

The Patrol withstood several days of selection processes in Australia at the beginning of this year. The 280 hp/4800 VTC beat all other competitor finalists after being driven through both on- and off-road conditions and under severe scrutiny inside and out, including criteria such as intended use, technology, and value for money.

The format of the 4x4 Australian award has been changed from 5 awards in different categories in previous years to one single award this year for an overall winner- the Nissan Patrol ST TB48.

Not too long ago and on Nissan Patrol's 50th anniversary held in Dubai, the 2002 Patrol was granted the "Car of The Year" award in the large SUV category. A jury consisting of Future Television, Automobile Magazine, and Wheels and Gears Magazine granted this November 2001 award to the Patrol. Even then the Patrol similarly endured painstaking test-driving experiments and was judged on well-selected criteria such as safety, advanced technology, and price to finally exceed the competition.

Marking its winner's spot in the international market, this award and the more recent Australia tribute recognize all the effort put into this vehicle to make Nissan such a success.


Nissan Patrol wins third consecutive Awards from 4x4 Australia magazine

NISSAN'S powerful Patrol wagon has once again won recognition as a
leader in the four-wheel drive segment, collecting its third consecutive
award at the annual 4X4 Of The Year Awards.
The awards, held by 4X4 Australia magazine, saw Nissan's 4.8-litre Patrol ST wagon collect the prestigious 4x4 of the Year award.

Against tough competition, Nissan's Patrol ST 4.8 was selected for the award ahead of 22 competitors - including the Mercedes-Benz ML500, Jeep Cherokee Sport, Toyota 78 Series LandCruiser RV cab chassis and Mazda Tribute.

At the end of the rigorous test program the judges were full of praise for the Patrol’s new engine which “packs a powerful punch as the tacho needle forges towards the redline”.

“As a family tourer the Patrol ST offers seating for seven occupants and a large cargo compartment. Interior fit and finish is as good as anything else on the market and the Patrol has a solid reputation for reliability and strength,” said Michael Taylor, Editor 4x4 Australia.

“Whether you’re looking for a family runabout, outback tourer or a capable weekender, the Patrol is a jack-of-all-trades. It offers excellent performance, predictable handling, a comfortable ride and is extremely capable off road.

After an exhaustive testing procedure over mixed terrain, the eight 4x4
Australia judges made a unanimous decision when awarding 4x4 of the Year for 2002.

“The Nissan Patrol ST 4800 is a deserving winner,” said Mr Taylor.
Nissan Australia’s Managing Director, Leon Daphne, was pleased to accept the award and thanked the judges for their combined decision.

“The new 4.8-litre Patrol has received a fantastic reception from the media, the Australian public and our dealer body.” Mr Daphne said. “For all eight judges to name the 4.8-litre Patrol the winner from such a strong field of competitors is a very satisfying endorsement.”