Minor upgrades for Nissan NP200 – the only Gauteng-built half-tonner

Introduced here in 2008 to replace the inimitable legendary Nissan 1400 bakkie, the NP200 has had some changes over the years, but nothing major.  The upgrade to the locally-built bakkie is again minor.
   
Nissan SA factory in Rosslyn, next to Pretoria, has started fitting new cabin materials and additional spec on some models.

New cabin materials for a fresher look

On base models the seat and door panel inserts changed to a hard-wearing black textured fabric, with a vinyl inlay on the seat bolsters and sides.

Mid-grade S models get a fresher black and grey wavy-patterned fabric on seats and door panel inserts, complimented by black woven cloth on seat bolsters, and black vinyl inlays on the seat backs.

On high-grade SE models the current trim is replaced by black and grey textured fabric and door panel inserts, in repeat pattern of long shaped blocks, and black woven cloth on the bolsters and seat sides.  It also gets dual-line white stitching along the seat and headrest edges.  The SE models are also fitted with silver surrounds for the air vents for that more personal bakkie look.

Updated audio and, finally, better ventilation controls

S and SE models get an updated audio system which adds a USB port, audio jack and Bluetooth phone connectivity.

The tacky plasticky ventilation/heating controls which looked right out of cheap cars from the ‘80s have finally been updated – the poor-fitting dull-grey previous controls have been replaced by much better black controls with chrome surrounds.

Market

Of the only pair of half-ton bakkies left on the market, the Nissan NP200 is the best seller, with an average of over 1500 sales monthly over the past year.  The only other contender is the Chevrolet Utillity.

Is the NP200 a best-seller because it is cheaper or better in any way?  Perhaps not – the Chevrolet Utility is much more modern and refined than the NP200 (which is not a real Nissan, truth be told – it is a Dacia, which shares cars under the Renault-Nissan alliance, which would explain why the front and interior and engine are the same as the Renault Logan sedan that was sold here for a while).

With the Chevrolet Utility offering great value in a more modern package, like the UteWorking Edition which is cheaper at R 142 900 than the base NP200 1.6i at R 145 300, the sales advantage is probably due to the local (Pretoria and Gauteng) manufacture setup which can supply stock quickly.  The NP200 1.6i 16v S model retails at R 175 800, but for 5 grand less you can have a Utility 1.8 UteSurf Edition for R 170 300, complete with more powerful engine and some special-edition trim bits and extra kit.

Another strong sales point benefit for the NP200 is its 6-year / 150 000 km warranty, which is bold for a commercial vehicle, and cannot be matched by its rival, which also offers a strong 5-year / 120 000 km warranty on the Utility (which is probably as long and as far as most of these bakkies will be used for, before trading it for a new one).

Good news about the NP200 upgrade is that prices remained the same as before:

Nissan NP200 1.6i	R 145 300
Nissan NP200 1.6i (aircon)	R 157 100
Nissan NP200 1.6i pack	R 163 400
Nissan NP200 1.6 16v S	R 175 800
Nissan NP200 1.6 16v SE	R 204 900
Nissan NP200 1.5dCi pack	R 205 900
Nissan NP200 1.5dCi SE	R 228 000