Take Note of Nissan: 5th Most Popular Car - DirectAsia Insurance
The top 10 best-selling cars in Singapore continue to feature both luxury and 'regular' brands, with Toyota (including Lexus) selling 390 cars in April, beating Mercedes Benz (with 339 sales) in second and BMW (with 246 sales) in third.
The list tends to shuffle around a little – as might be expected when total car sales for Singapore seldom breach the 2,000 unit mark.
Take Note of Nissan
But one Japanese car maker, Nissan, has seen steady growth in recent months, rising from 92 sales in January to 161 in March – although this has dropped off again in April, to 107. But this fall is mirrored by other car makers, meaning Nissan was still the 5th most popular car brand in April.
It's not clear why Nissan has enjoyed a spurt in sales this year, but the firm offers both smaller, more affordable cars like the Note and Leaf, as well as more prestigious products like the GTR.
And those who take pride in the cleanliness of their car may be aware of Nissan's latest innovation: self-cleaning nano-paint. The firm's UK-based engineers have been trialling the invention, which has been described as ‘super-hydrophobic’ and ‘oleophobic’.
The paint, branded as Ultra-Ever Dry®, creates a layer between the atmosphere and the car body, essentially repelling water and dirt.
Haze Resistant?
Those who had to visit the car wash a few too many times because of the haze in recent months may find the idea of a self-cleaning car very attractive. Not only would it save time, but it would also cut out those carwash fees.
However, Nissan says the paint job will cost an additional £450 (S$950), although it is rumoured that new UK-built Note models may feature the nano-paint as standard.
If the technology becomes popular, then the cost of nano-paintwork may come down – and may feature on other Nissan models, or even be licensed to other car makers.
Will Singapore car insurers and garages one day need to make allowances for self-cleaning paint in order to carry out repairs? Perhaps one day.
Singapore Cars Sales Rise
As the Singapore car market sees a year-on-year first quarter improvement of 11% in 2014, car makers such as Nissan will see many opportunities in this island state.
A Leaf out of Nissan's Book?
If Nissan can perfect their self-cleaning cars, and continue making cars that Singaporeans love, maybe one day the likes of Mercedes Benz and Toyota will have something to worry about. Until then, their positions look secure.
