By Macharia Kamau
Leading motor vehicle dealer, DT Dobie, will phase out the Nissan Sunny brand from the Kenyan market.
The Sunny, manufactured by Japanese car maker Nissan Motor Corporation, is being phased out after about 30 years where it grew to be a popular brand and at some point the second most popular saloon brand after the Toyota Corolla.
In its place DT Dobie will be marketing Nissan Almera, which it launched in the market last week.
DT Dobie managing director, Zarak Khan, said he was confident Nissan Almera would grow to be popular in the local market.
He said the car was already gaining market share in the markets that it has already been launched.
"This is a decision made by Nissan Motor Corporation to replace the Sunny with the Almera in Africa. However there are other markets where this particular car is being marketed as Nissan Sunny," he said.
"The Sunny has been a popular brand and we are going to build on the popularity with the new brand. It is also affordably priced... our pre-VAT price for the entry level model is Sh1.7 million."
Larger share
He added that the company would be pushing for a larger share in the saloon segment, where demand has been growing due to a rising middle class.
Though in its initial marketing it has been positioned as a family car, DT Dobie is also targeting corporates especially firms running car fleets including security and car hire firms.
It is also eyeing business from the Government that has in the recent past adopted cars with low engine capacity in a bid to cut costs. "We are open to business and if we see an opportunity in the corporate segment or government, we are going to pursue it," he said.