R E V I E W O F O P E R A T I O N S : A U T O M O T I V E
Middle East & Africa
The new Maxima went on sale in the Middle East during the past fiscal year, and proved to be popular with customers. Nissan Middle East FZE, the regional business management company established in June 1994 and headquartered in Dubai, bolstered sales by providing marketing support to dealerships.
The yen's sharp appreciation in the first half of the year ended March 31, 1996 resulted in a 22.0 percent drop in exports of vehicles from Japan to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the largest market in the region. Nissan responded to these conditions by shifting responsibility for Middle Eastern dealership support from Tokyo to Nissan Middle East FZE, the regional business management company established in June 1994 and headquartered in Dubai. This move helped dealerships tailor their efforts more closely to local needs. As a result, the decrease in Nissan sales in the Middle East remained below the drop in total exports from Japan to the region, a situation to which the start of sales of new Sunny and Maxima models also contributed.
In Africa, Nissan strengthened its sales capabilities by beginning exports of right-hand-drive Datsun pickup trucks to eight countries, including the important Zimbabwe market, from Nissan South Africa (Pty.) Ltd.
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Hard-working pickup trucks are one mainstay of Nissan's presence in the markets of the Middle East and Africa.
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