Text and photos by Aries B. Espinosa
“WHAT is essential is invisible to the eye” has been one of the most oft-quoted passages from the classic The Little Prince novel. But it doesn’t necessarily apply to the vision of Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI) in its attempt to share the enhanced active safety technologies in the vehicles that it will introduce to the market from now on.
Beginning with the new X-Trail, which NPI introduced just this September, the Nissan Intelligent Mobility (NIM) — the practical application of the Japanese car maker’s vision of “Zero Emissions, Zero Fatality” — can now be seen, heard and felt by drivers and occupants alike.
NPI aimed to share this enhanced active safety technology component of its NIM during the “X-tend your Senses Xperience” drive held on Dec. 2-3.
For this drive that started from the Nissan Quezon Avenue dealership and ended at a Mediterranean-inspired resort in Poro Point, La Union, NPI also gave out a relaxing bonus — a ride in the new Nissan Urvan Premium. The Urvan Premium is a higher, wider, bolder-looking variant that offers more upscale amenities for passengers, and also a five-speed automatic transmission for drivers. This writer practically slept through the entire ride from Manila to La Union, and not a body part was aching when the group reached the destination — a testament to the spaciousness and comfort of the Urvan Premium.
At the resort, an area was cordoned off to serve as the “proving ground” for the new X-Trail’s NIM enhancements in its active safety systems — specifically the Around View Monitor that provides drivers a 360-degree perspective for easier navigation, the Moving Object Detection that sends a visual and audible alert when there are movements around the vehicle, the Blind Spot Warning that detects objects in the driver’s blind spot, the Rear Cross Traffic Alert that warns drivers of approaching vehicles whenever they’re backing up onto the street, and the Forward Collision Warning and Intelligent Emergency Braking that send a visual and auditory warning, and apply emergency brakes to avoid collisions.
Under professionally supervised conditions, the new X-Trail maneuvered through tight turns, with no pylons harmed — even with the front windshield and front windows completely covered. The driver relied solely on the Around View Monitor that provided a top view of the X-Trail’s immediate surroundings.
The Rear Cross Traffic Alert was also demonstrated during a backing maneuver where another vehicle would quickly drive across the X-Trail’s driveway. In the Blind Spot Warning test, one vehicle was made to tailgate an X-Trail moving at speed on a driveway. Light indicators on the side-view mirrors, as well as audible warnings, were activated when the tailgating vehicle moved onto the X-Trail’s rear right and left flanks — areas where drivers wouldn’t normally see from their side-view mirrors.
Finally, for the Forward Collision Warning and Intelligent Emergency Braking, the X-Trail was made to run head-on towards a makeshift styrofoam wall at over 30 kph. The Intelligent Emergency Braking kicked in at about the last three meters, and the X-Trail stopped completely about a meter from the wall.
Except in the final demonstration, participants were able to ride in the X-Trail and see for themselves how NIM enhanced the overall driving confidence in the popular compact crossover.
Ramesh Narasimhan, NPI president and managing director, sees the X-Trail as the apt vehicle to demonstrate NIM to the Philippine market, as the vehicle is touted to be roomy enough for families and groups embarking on lengthy road trips. “With Nissan Intelligent Mobility, our customers can enjoy each adventure as they drive safe and sound.”
Mr. Narasimhan also revealed NPI’s growth in the past 18 months. “Until end of October we grew about 40%, while total industry growth was about 13%. Last June was a record, and we broke that in July. We broke that again in September. I was told that we had a new record in November, when we sold 2,809 units. The previous record was something like 2,300, so around 22% higher than our previous record. And all our models performed strongly.”
Even as sales figures do matter for NPI, Mr. Narasimhan made it clear that the welfare of the planet and its inhabitants carry equal, if not more, weight for the car maker. “We are very passionate about our vision for ‘Zero-Emission, Zero-Fatality, and I think this is the start of that wave of products that you’re going to see in the Philippines with intelligent safety features that just makes everyday life easier, a bit more pleasurable to drive.”
