Nissan Commits to Massive Navara Expansion into Africa

With the launch of the Daring Africa 2024 expedition from Rosslyn, South Africa to Cairo in Egypt, Nissan hopes to invigorate the Navara moniker with increased continental production once the final NP200 is manufactured at the local plant.

Image: Nissan

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Both key models in Nissan’s lineup locally, the diminutive NP200 and its larger Navara sibling serve as sales stalwarts for the Japanese automaker. Rather strange it is then to start an article speaking about a Navara expedition with information on the NP200. Look at the sales figures from February and you will see why – the Navara managed 449 local sales while the NP200 almost tripled that with 1 276 units. The NP200 serves as the bread and butter for Nissan between LCV and passenger sales with the Magnite trailing far behind with 847 units in the same month. Over and above its importance in serving as a key vehicle for small businesses, fleets and couriers, the NP200 is also manufactured locally, alongside the Navara lineup, contributing to local GDP and employment.

Image: Nissan

Look back to 2008, when the NP200 was first released into the market and the half-tonne segment was bustling and active with competition from the likes of GM with the Opel/Chevrolet Utility, Proton Arena, Ford Bantam, Fiat Strada and to some extent the Volkswagen Caddy (that was culled a year before the NP200 arrived). The unibody single cab bakkie more crucially assumed the reigns from the venerated Nissan 1400 (better known as the Champ) at Nissan’s Rosslyn production facility just outside of Pretoria. Fast forward the remarkable 16-year production run at the same facility we departed from for the Daring Africa 2024 expedition and Nissan management remained vague on whether a direct replacement for the NP200 can be expected in the future.

Related: Nissan Plans Bold Navara Daring Africa 2024 Expedition Across the Continent

To maintain output at the Rosslyn facility, Nissan did state it intends to “strengthen all efforts with Navara and ramp up production with new African destinations.” Thus, the Daring Africa 2024 expedition will kick off with some tangible expectations expected in the future. Before our departure on the N4 to a pleasant and clean Mbombela, Nissan’s continental top brass hosted a Q&A session for the media. Present were Nissan South Africa Managing Director Maciej Klenkiewicz, Nissan African Head of Communications and PR Ramy Mohareb, Nissan Africa Managing Director Sherief Eldessouky and Marketing Director for Nissan Africa Stefan Haasbroek. Confirming that the Navara expansion was well underway, other African destinations are reportedly awaitingthe locally produced model, albeit yet to be fully opened to the bakkie. Despite being introduced to the South African market exactly 7 years ago in March 2017, Nissan has confirmed a “solid life cycle plan” and has begun looking to the “next models for production” although no further details were divulged.

Related: Nissan Rolls Out ‘The Arc’ Strategy for Automotive Evolution

Despite looking to the future, the automaker and its Navara expansion with the pending expedition commenced in Rosslyn with a convoy of the ladder-framed bakkie, representing the entire range that is manufactured in South Africa. The Rosslyn plant serves as Nissan’s African LCV manufacturing hub and is responsible for the export of the bakkie into not only the African continent but the global market too.

The Daring Africa 2024 expedition is intended to highlight the Navara’s capability and showcase its resilience in the most severe road conditions across the continent. It also celebrates a wonderful legacy, says Klenkiewicz. “These Navaras have been made for Africa by African hands that care in the very same place that the first Nissan vehicle was built in Africa more than 60 years ago.” With its first vehicle manufactured on the African continent in 1964, this will also serve as an anniversary that coincides with Nissan’s 90th year in existence.

The first leg included a media contingent drive from the Rosslyn plant via the Motus Nissan dealership in Menlyn, Pretoria to the sole Nissan dealership in Mbombela. With a relatively easy sub-5-hour drive completed on open highways and some curious onlookers intrigued by the sticker-bombed exteriors and off-roading accessories, this also provided the media with an opportunity to leverage a better understanding of how the automotive industry does at the final frontier before a new car finds a home. Interestingly, the dealer principal of the Menlyn branch confirmed that the Magnite was of the more popular models sold while the Mbolmbela dealer principal reaffirmed the national sales states confirming the NP200 was still comfortably the most popular model.

With this being the pilot leg of the Daring Africa 2024 expedition and Navara expansion into the continent, the official convoy will only officially depart for the several-stop tour in early April. This leg will see 5 Navaras and 1 X-Trail traverse the terrains in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya, being met and accompanied by a team from each country’s media, before ending the adventure in Egypt, which will serve as one of the markets the bakkie will be introduced to. This follows the recent debut of the Navara in neighbouring countries Algeria and Libya.

Undeniably, there is going to be a gaping hole left not only in the local market, but in Nissan’s production too once the NP200 is finally axed but should this Navara expansion yield fruitful into the rest of Africa, Nissan’s Rosslyn production should continue at full capacity.

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