Nissan South Africa (SA) will delay the start of volume production and sales of the Nissan Navara one-ton bakkie to June this year, says Nissan SA marketing director Stefan Haasbroek.
He says this is due to operational issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The original launch date of the Navara was the first quarter of this year.
Single-cab and double-cab Navaras will be produced at Nissan SA’s Rosslyn plant, in Pretoria, for the local market, as well as 42 export markets in Africa.
Around 40% of production will be exported.
As Nissan SA works to recover from its operational constraints, production should reach around 35 000 units in the 2021 financial year, estimates Haasbroek.
The first Navara trial units have already rolled off the production line at the Rosslyn plant.
The local parts content on the vehicle is currently at around 50%, with the aim to increase this as production reaches maturity, notes Haasbroek.
He adds that the local arm of the Japanese manufacturer is working to secure Navara export markets outside Africa.
“The more volume we put through, the more competitive we are.”
The Navara will be produced alongside the NP200 half-ton bakkie.
The NP300 one-ton bakkie has, however, come to the end of the road.
Haasbroek says production of this model at the Rosslyn plant will most likely end in November.
Nissan SA will, however, continue to support NP300 customers for another ten years.