From Beijing (China) – When talking about pick-ups, Omar Daneri cannot help but refer to Nissan. He was the president of Nissan Argentina during the last stage of the Japanese brand as importer in our market. It was just before Japan's parent company bought the operation of Daneri's cousin, Manuel Antelo, to become an automotive terminal and build a pick-ups factory in Cordoba (since the second semester, Santa Isabel II will produce the Nissan Frontier, Renault Alaskan and Mercedes-Benz X-Class). But when it comes to pick-ups, Daneri-current CEO of the Car One Group – refers to the pre-stage of this new industrial moment: "The Nissan NP300 D22 was the last 100% work pick-up that was sold in Argentina. And we sold it. " This is a Mexican double-cabin flat, with a capacity for six passengers. It was commercialized between April 2010 and January 2014 (see Archive). "It sold very well and, when in Mexico announced that it was stopped manufacturing, we bought all that we could, to continue offering it a longer time," recalls Daneri. We are in the Beijing Lounge, at the Haval stand: It is one of the Chinese brands that the Car One Group will import from May in Argentina (read more). The other will be Changan, in the second semester (read more). The Great Wall pick-ups will also be launched in May, but they do not have a booth at this exhibition: The Chinese car show is about cars and SUVs. There is no physical place to expose also utilitarian. Not to mention motorbikes or trucks, as happens in the small hall of Buenos Aires. "With Great Wall we will re-offer work pick-ups in Argentina. It is not a very large market, but it is a segment that is now unattended. They all went to the luxury pick-ups segment, often with oversized engines. Let's bet on the field customer looking for a simple work vehicle. Also to companies that need fleets that are accessible, "Daneri explained. Great Wall will offer two models of medium pick-ups in Argentina. The Winge 5 will have versions with single and double cab, rear wheel drive or 4 × 4 with gearbox. The engine will be a 2.0 turbodiesel with 142 CV and six-speed manual box. The Winge 6 will have some extra comfort elements, such as leather upholstery and multimedia screen. It will be offered only with double cab and only 4 × 4. The motor will be the same as the Winge 5. All will have a load capacity of one ton. Prices range from 22000 to 29000 dollars. Good news on security: All will come standard with four-wheel disc brakes and stability control (ESP). "We're not going to compete against big brands in sales volumes," says Daneri. "Although, for example, in the bidding of fleets of companies and official dependencies, we will have good chances to win. We in Uruguay are representatives of Nissan, for example, and many bids are lost against the Uruguayan importer of Great Wall. They are pick-ups with better price and proposal for the job, "he explains. Daneri knows that, in that niche market, customer service is key: "Let's start with 10 dealers. Each one will have its own aftersales area. But Great Wall, in turn, will reinforce the attention with a secondary network of 30 points of service. They will be independent workshops, but specialized in Great Wall. If a Mercedes customer buys me a pick-up at Pilar's Car one, I can't ask him to travel to Pilar to take care of his vehicle. I have to attend to Mercedes, "he explains. The mention of that city in Buenos Aires is not accidental. According to Daneri, the First fleet of pick-ups is already reserved for a historic farm production ranch, which operates very close to that city.
