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Nissan's new NV commercial van rolls in
The first models of Nissan's NV commercial van began rolling in to Vickar Nissan near the end of November after Vickar was appointed the official franchisee for Manitoba, Saskatchewan and northwestern Ontario.
"This is Nissan's first entry into the commercial vehicle market in North America," said Tom (Nitro) Nitychoruk, Vickar's NV specialist. "We're competing against the Mercedes Sprinter, Ford's E-Series and GM's Savana."
The NV has been available in Europe and the United States for about a year.
The NV vans are available in either a standard low-roofed cargo area, or with a raised roof that allows you to walk around inside. The van can also be configured into either a half-ton, three-quarter-ton or one-ton model, depending on the user's needs.
There is also a choice between V6 or V8 engines, Nitychoruk said. The 4L V6 engine makes better fuel efficiency while still providing pulling power. Nitychoruk described the 5.6L V8 option as a "torque monster" with tremendous pulling power. All NV models come with a standard five-speed automatic transmission.
Because the NV has an extended nose, the drive train is farther forward than in competing models, thereby providing ample legroom for both the driver and front seat passenger, Nitychoruk added,
"One big advantage of the NV is that the walls in the cargo area are straight up and down," he said. "With that design, attached shelving won't encroach on the centre aisle."
Nitychoruk also noted that there is space for insulation and paneling, the wheel wells are reduced and the rear doors can be opened all the way to the sides of the van, where they are held in place by magnets so that the wind doesn't catch them. The NV vans are available with or without windows depending on the purchaser's wishes.
The starting price for a new NV 1500 Series van with V6 engine is $32,700, with a top-of-the-line model costing about $40,000.
"We are finding that it's not only tradespeople who are interested in the NV," Nitychoruk said. "Campers are also asking about converting vans for their needs."
Vickar Nissan is also the only Nissan dealer in the region approved to carry the all-electric Leaf, and president Stephen Vickar said the dealership has sold nine units so far, including three to MTS.
He added that the dealership, located across the street from Club Regent Casino, is planning a 12,500-square-foot expansion starting in the spring.
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Jeff Dveris, whose Park Pontiac Buick dealership used to be roughly across the street from Vickar Nissan, is trying a fresh start as a used-car dealer on Pembina Highway near Stafford.
Dveris' father, the late Dave Dveris, was the first new-car dealer to locate on Regent back in the early 1970s, and was at one time Winnipeg's leading GM dealer. In 2009, however, Park Pontiac was one of two Pontiac dealers (of the four in the city) that GM closed.
After a brief try as a Mazda dealer, Dveris sent himself up as a used-car dealer under the Park City banner last July. But, finding that his old Park Pontiac building was too big for his new business, he sold the property to the Club Regent Casino and relocated to 730 Pembina Hwy. on Jan. 1.
Dveris is operating with two full-time sales reps and a sub-prime loan team headed by Wally Hanaway and Rob Youssiem.
"We're carrying imports as well as domestic models," he said. "We're trying to stick with more current models with some factory warranty left on them."
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We offer our sympathy to the family of Roy Dick, 79, recently retired as dealer principal of Rhineland Car in Altona, who passed away On Jan. 18 at Altona Health Care Centre.
Dick began his career with Rhineland Car Co. in 1950. His father, P.L. Dick, started the Ford dealership in Altona in 1927. Roy became president when his father passed away in 1963. He retired in 2009, just shy of 60 years in the business.
"I learned a lot from Roy over the years," said Jim Dick, his nephew and successor as president of Rhineland Car Co. "I'm grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to become a Ford dealer."
Dick said his uncle continued to come into the dealership often after he retired. "He liked to work," he said. "He liked to stay involved and keep abreast of what was happening."