Looking at the number of sales the 1-ton pick-up market keeps racking up month-after-month, as it has been doing for many years, one has to ask the question why there aren’t more smaller pick-ups on the market.
Once a thriving segment with a few competing offerings, the half-ton bakkie segment had the Ford Bantam (based on the front-drive Ford Escort hatch) and re-badged Mazda Rustler, Volkswagen Golf pick-up (which was based on Golf 1, and later renamed Caddy pick-up)… and way before them, the Datsun 1200 bakkie was born. This little bakkie became the Nissan 1400, and through a few upgrades like a higher roof and new face, stayed true to its origins. The Bantam was built for quite a few years, but then ended, while the VW Caddy kind of had to retire after the long-standing CitiGolf (Golf 1) was stopped. Interestingly, the oldest of the group also endured the longest, as 1400 outlived all the abovementioned half-tonners. Only the Opel Corsa Utility, as the new entrant, made some inroads – this became Chevrolet Utility. Fiat tried this for a while with its Strada, but quit.
When it came time for Nissan to close the 1400 production line, it commemorated it with a Heritage edition model, bowing out this little winner in style. The last of the rear-wheel-drive half-ton bakkies had to go. Nissan SA decided it was time to let it go… but why did it? Just looking at the high demand for the 1400 even now, and seeing how many are still running around daily, there would no doubt still be buyers today.
The big question was: what will they replace it with? Nissan had formed an alliance with Renault, who in turn has ties to Dacia. The Dacia bakkie seemed a good source to continue Nissan’s long-standing small bakkie sales strength, so the NP200 was decided on. However, this is not a true Nissan – just look at the front-end and interiors of the Dacia/Renault Logan sedan (which was thankfully stopped for the local market) and you’ll see the similarity between Logan and “Nissan” NP200.
Nissan SA introduced the Nissan NP200 for sale in September 2009, overlapping with the last of the 1400s produced. A sad day for South Africa – not so much the discontinuation of the 1400, but the NP200 marketed as a continuation of the loved little heritage bakkie.
It was very bold of Nissan to, in 2011, extend the warranty of all-new NP200 bakkies to 6 years or 150 000km. This means a buyer of a new NP200 would have a long time and far distance to go before the warranty expires.
Nissan SA boasts a comprehensive range of LCVs (Light Commercial Vehicles) in its commercial portfolio – the NP200 is at the bottom, and also sells the NP300 Hardbody, Navara (up for replacement by the NP300 Navara) and the Patrol pick-up, which had received a look similar to the Patrol SUV.
Strange that there are only 2 remnants of the half-ton bakkie – this Nissan NP200 from Group 1 Nissan, and the Chevrolet Utility, both selling 1200+ per month. Ford is expanding its commercial range but is happy to sell only Ranger and panel vans. Toyota actually had a small 1200 bakkie many years ago, but no replacement was made. Today only Volkswagen has a chance of re-entering this market when seeing the Saveiro from Brazil.
Article source: https://welovenissan.tumblr.com/post/190380871033/will-the-np200-ever-achieve-the-much-loved-status
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