By Joyce Reyes-Aguila
NISSAN PHILIPPINES, INC. (NPI) pulled all the stops for its brand enthusiasts with the staging of the country’s first Nissan Festival. Over 1,700 fans, car club members, and visitors gathered at the Clark International Speedway last Feb. 1 to celebrate their passion for everything the marque stands for.
Nissan Philippines President Masao Tsutsumi described the event as a “great milestone” where Nissan fans had the chance “to drive, see, and touch the cars which are really the inspiration and heart of Nissan. This event will increase their affinity to the brand and will be an opportunity for them to (reaffirm) their love for Nissan.”
The Nissan Festival, pillared on the theme “Driven by Passion, Powered by Legacy,” featured a parade of 50 vehicles from various car clubs and 10 heritage vehicles that showcased iconic Nissan nameplates from the past and present. Nissan Philippines also flew in Hiroshi Tamura, considered the godfather/father of the GT-R. “I’ve said it in the past and still believe that the GT-R is a car that represents the essence of Nissan DNA. Our passion toward creating exciting products and our willingness to take on extreme challenges have been represented in this car,” he expressed in a past interview for Nissan’s global website.
Three lucky festival participants experienced the track through a ride-along session with the legendary Mr. Tamura, a product specialist who had also been once involved with the iconic Nissan Maxima/Cefiro model earlier in his career.
In a press conference, Mr. Tamura, now retired from Nissan but still eagerly functioning as a brand ambassador, recalled how the Hakosuka (a combination of the Japanese words for “box” and “skyline”) GT-R, launched in 1969, inspired him to design the vehicle’s future models. “The first-ever (car) racing motor was screaming,” he recalled to members of the press and content creators. “(It was driven by) Mr. Kunimitsu Takahashi, super legendary driver, who won the race. It served as an inspiration for (and an experience that) imprinted on me when I was 10 years old. That’s Nissan’s first invitation for me (to be with the brand) and create a GT-R.”
The afternoon session at Nissan Festival was highlighted by driving exhibitions headlined by Nissan brand ambassador Matteo Guidicelli, motorsports celebrity Marlon Stockinger, F4 Motul racer and brand ambassador Iñigo Anton, and drifter Ashley Sison.
Mr. Tsutsumi confirmed that Nissan Philippines will be “bringing many new models to the Philippines” with “many new technologies and advanced powertrains. All of these are to further strengthen our confidence and presence in the Philippines. I would really like every Nissan fan here in the Philippines to be excited and be proud Nissan owners and drivers.”
In response to a question from “Velocity” on what segments he forecasts will be strong for the brand in 2026, the executive teased that the brand “can create demand generation in a new segment with (its) model launches this year.” According to Mr. Tsutsumi, Nissan Philippines will launch all its new vehicles at the Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) from June 4 to 7 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.
Following a dip in pickup sales last year because of the Capital Markets Efficiency Promotion Act (CMEPA) which effectively restored the excise tax to the segment, the president expressed confidence that the segment will “show recovery sooner or later as it is very much a necessary segment in Filipino life, so demand should come.”
He added, “Nissan struggled (last) year because a lot of our business comes from pickup trucks, and sales were impacted.” The brand’s pickup model, the Nissan Navara, had the second-highest sales for the brand locally last year, after the Nissan Terra and followed by the Livina and Urvan, according to the executive.
Meanwhile, In an exclusive interview with “Velocity,” NPI Product Marketing Assistant General Manager Sherwin Kuan revealed that the brand’s to-be- launched vehicles will include “several electrified models because that’s what the market is looking for. It’s going to be a mix — not just BEVs (battery electric vehicles). Filipinos are so open now to owning one (of the electrified options). They’re able to realize the advantages of having a hybrid vehicle or BEV. We hope the Nissan customers from before will really consider these for their next car.”
With the success of the first-ever Nissan Festival, Mr. Kuan reaffirms the value of community for Nissan Philippines. “We want to continue reconnecting with our past customers, and we want to keep building our brand toward the future.”