Yulon says Leaf vehicles to hit dealers next month

HIGH DEMAND: Leaf electric vehicles and Kicks SUVs would be a major driving force for sales in the second half of the year, a Yulon Nissan Motor Co official said

By Kwan Shin-han / Staff reporter





Yulon Nissan Motor Co (裕隆日產) yesterday said it plans to start selling Leaf electric vehicles in Taiwan late next month to bolster sales momentum in the second half of this year after revenue decreased 3.44 percent year-on-year to NT$15.88 billion (US$502.1 million) in the first half.

The Leaf cars, now available for pre-order, have a range of 311km and a top speed of 90kph, a public relations official said.

“It only takes 40 minutes to charge the Leaf’s batteries to 80 percent through a DC charger and eight hours using an AC charger,” the official said.

The company’s sales of Nissan-branded vehicles soared 50.33 percent year-on-year to 3,910 units last month, he said, citing data compiled by the Directorate-General of Highways’ (DGH) motor vehicles offices.

That included Kicks and X-Trail sport utility vehicles, TIIDA and Livina compact vehicles, and Sentra sedans, he said.

In the first seven months, sales of Nissan vehicles increased 1.2 percent annually to 21,753 units, giving the brand an 8.5 percent market share, he said.

Kicks and Leaf vehicles would be a major driving force for sales in the second half, he said.

“Demand for Kicks has remained high since it entered the local market late last year, so we asked Nissan [Motor Co] for more quota to make sure supply is sufficient enough to meet the needs of the Taiwan market in the second half of the year,” he said.

Yulon Nissan’s net income rose 4.61 percent year-on-year to NT$3.09 billion in the January-to-June period, with earnings per share of NT$10.29, the company reported on Friday.

However, gross margin dropped from 18.99 percent to 15.37 percent in the period, it said.

The company last week gained approval from the Investment Commission to restructure its Chinese ventures from five to two and increase its shareholding in China’s Guangzhou Fengshen Automotive Co (廣州風神) from 40 percent to 42.69 percent, with positive effects of these changes likely to emerge this quarter, the official said.