Nissan South Africa has entered a “formal consultation phase to restructure the business” as it seeks a replacement for the NP200 that will soon go out of production…

With production of the NP200 scheduled to end in March 2024, Nissan South Africa has confirmed it has officially entered a “formal consultation phase to restructure the business”.

In a statement, the Japanese automaker’s local division said though production of the NP200 half-tonne bakkie would end at its Rosslyn plant in the opening quarter of next year, the factory would continue to build the Navara 1-tonne contender, with “model upgrades to come and export destinations set to increase”.

NP200 replacement fell through

Interestingly, the company confirmed it had earlier lined up an “immediate replacement model for NP200”, which was planned to be built on a Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance shared platform in Russia.

“However, the geopolitical situation in Russia meant this model was no longer viable due to significantly reduced volumes. In line with our African strategy, securing a 2nd model for production in South Africa is a priority and a study into an alternative vehicle is already progressing,” the statement from Nissan SA read.

“Until our future plans are confirmed, the business will be operating at reduced production volumes and needs to act responsibly to maintain its long-term competitiveness and be ready to secure future opportunities.

“Nissan South Africa has now entered into a formal consultation phase to restructure the business, which could result in a reduction in the number of employees across the company.

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“During the consultation phase, we will work with our employees, their representatives and our partners to minimise the impact on our people and investigate other opportunities for them and for the business to ensure a sustainable future for the brand in South Africa.”

The company added it was “focusing on building a strong future for the brand and for our employees in South Africa”.

NP200 debuted way back in 2008

The NP200 arrived on the scene as a replacement for the Nissan 1400 back in 2008. The workhorse bakkie has had the local half-tonne bakkie segment all to itself since the close of 2017, when General Motors quit Mzansi, thus marking the end of the road for theChevrolet Utility.

As such, the Dacia Logan-based single cab quickly became Nissan SA’s chief volume driver. Over the opening 8 months of 2023, as many as 8 862 examples were registered locally, enough to earn it 4th place on the list of SA’s best-selling bakkies and a top-10 place overall, despite its advanced age. That tally represented a whopping 43.9% of all Nissan sales from the start ofJanuaryto the end ofAugust 2023.

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