Nissan's 7-year-old partnership with Hover hits speed bump as car-maker eyes 'options'
This move follows a protest by Nissan dealers in October last year over the appointment of Hover as a middle party between them and the company, after which the dealers formed a separate body, Nissan Dealer Forum, to interact with the management.
Nissan had appointed Hover in 2005, and, currently, has over 80 dealers in the country.
Takayuki Ishida, MD & CEO of Nissan Motor India told FE that though Hover continues to be the distribution partner for now, the company is considering other options on the table especially as it prepares to introduce its low-cost ‘Datsun’ car brand in 2014.
Datsun is expected to initially start with a compact hatchback, followed by an entry sedan and a small SUV.
“We are not currently 100% satisfied with the dealerships and the unrest has impacted sales. Opinions are different in a growing stage. We are ramping up and one partner may want to go one way, while the other wants something else. There are some issues we need to rectify,” he said.
He added, “We are studying if we want to stay with Hover for Datsun,
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