Nissan announces 5-year/100,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty for commercial vehicles

Thu, 19 Jun 2014

Nissan is a relative new-kid when it comes to the commercial van market in the US, with its commercial vehicles division only introducing the first NV vans in February 2011. But Nissan isn't letting its newcomer status keep it from challenging the established players in the segment. The company's latest shot over competitors' bows is announcing that, starting for the 2014 model year, its NV Cargo, NV Passenger and NV200 Compact Cargo vans carry a best-in-class, five-year/100,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. Their powertrain coverage also gets a 40,000-mile increase to five years/100,000 miles.

The new warranty is a huge leap over adversaries in the segment and should lure in some buyers looking for a longer term of coverage. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Ram ProMaster, Ford Transit and Transit Connect all carry a three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. The Fords offer five years and 60,000 miles of powertrain coverage, while all of the others increase that to 100,000 miles. Until this announcement, Nissan had the standard thee years of coverage, as well.

The Japanese automaker is clearly hungry to grab a bigger piece of the commercial van pie. Its heavy-duty NV vans have a relatively small 5.3 percent market share in their segment as of May 2014, according to the company's figures, but the NV200 is doing better with a 19.4 percent share. The division as a whole is on the upswing, though, with sales up 88 percent so far in 2014. With just a few years under its belt, Nissan Commercial Vehicles seems unafraid to challenge the status quo in the segment. Let's see how buyers respond. Scroll down to read the full announcement about the new warranty.

NISSAN ANNOUNCES AMERICA'S BEST COMMERCIAL VAN WARRANTY; NOW 5-YEAR/100,000-MILE BUMPER-TO-BUMPER COVERAGE

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 19, 2014) – Nissan is announcing America's best commercial van warranty* on its Light Commercial Vehicles, increasing basic limited warranty coverage from 3 years/36,000 miles to 5 years/100,000 miles, whichever comes first. The powertrain limited warranty has also been extended from 5 years/60,000 miles to 5 years/100,000 miles, whichever comes first.

The specific models covered by this new bumper-to-bumper warranty include the 2014 NV Cargo Van, NV Passenger Van and the NV200 Compact Cargo.**

"While we're relatively new to the world of commercial vehicles in the U.S., we've already proven our mettle with vehicles that endure harsh conditions that passenger cars will never see," said Fred Diaz, senior vice president, Nissan Sales & Marketing and Operations. "This warranty reaffirms our confidence in the quality of our vehicles, as some of the NV 2500 and 3500 models have already accrued 550,000-plus miles of real-world use."

The improved warranty retroactively covers all 2014 model year Nissan Commercial Vehicles. Nissan has been selling LCVs in the U.S. since spring 2011 with the introduction of the NV Cargo and NV Passenger vans. The NV200 Compact Cargo was released to acclaim in April 2013 and is also the base for the Chevrolet City Express, General Motors' upcoming entry into the segment.

"As Nissan Commercial Vehicles have established a reputation for ruggedness and durability in the field, we're gaining sales traction and customer acceptance of our work vehicles," Diaz added. "We're in the commercial vehicle game for the long haul, and this warranty will further help our customers to have greater confidence in their vehicles."

Nissan's new Light Commercial Vehicle warranty was inspired in part by the stories of Nissan Commercial Vehicles experiencing remarkable longevity under real-world work circumstances with businesses such as Above and Beyond Delivery. The company operates a fleet of 18-20 Nissan NV 3500 cargo vans out of Chandler, Ariz., supporting the mining, pharmaceuticals and food services industries. Above and Beyond began working with Nissan back in 2011, when an NV Cargo was lent to the company for its operations in the mining industry.

The initial vehicle used by Above and Beyond accrued more than 550,000 miles on its odometer with few repairs or downtime in the course of its service – the most major being an alternator replacement at 382,000 miles.

"Our drivers operate in the extreme weather of Arizona in challenging conditions, such as the Morenci Mine, which is one of the world's largest copper mines. Service failures are not an option for us. If a vehicle is down, it is not making money, so the reliability of the Nissan NVs is a massive advantage," said James Bowman, president, Above and Beyond Delivery.

"We have been very impressed at how good the Nissan NV lineup has gotten – especially with our half-million-mile experience with a single NV Cargo hauling large rock samples – so we are in the process of transitioning all of our light-duty delivery vehicles to Nissan NVs. We have 25 vehicles on order at present."

Year-to-date, Nissan has sold more than 10,700 commercial vehicles in the U.S., an 88 percent increase over this time period in 2013.

All Nissan Commercial Vehicles sold in the U.S. are assembled in North America, with the NV Cargo and NV Passenger assembled in Canton, Miss., and the NV200 assembled in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

For more information on Nissan Commercial Vehicles, please visit www.nissancommercialvehicles.com.

For positive testimonials regarding Nissan Commercial Vehicles, click HERE.

To see a video on Above and Beyond and their experience with Nissan NVs, please click HERE.

About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in 2010, 2011, and 2012 by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com, or visit the Americas media sites NissanNews.com and InfinitiNews.com. For information on Nissan's commercial vehicle lineup, visit NissanCommercialVehicles.com.

About Nissan
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 236,000 employees globally, Nissan sold more than 4.9 million vehicles and generated revenue of 9.6 trillion yen (USD 116.16 billion) in fiscal 2012. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of over 60 models under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history. For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.

By Chris Bruce