A few weeks ago, we were able to confirm that Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI) is planning to launch a key model: the Livina.
The name may be familiar to Nissan owners in the past, as the Grand Livina MPV was offered here before. The incoming model shares nothing with the previous generation apart from the name and the seating as this one is much more closely related to the Mitsubishi Xpander. Actually, it's pretty much the same vehicle.
We learned about the new model through certifications from the government that we found, but now we can confirm some more details: there will be three variants.
Based on export reports made by Nissan (actually at the Mitsubishi plant) in Indonesia to their major auto industry association, GAIKINDO, there are 3 variants that are slated for export to the Philippines. GAIKINDO is the Indonesian counterpart to our CAMPI.
Now the report did not indicate exactly what the variants are called or the specific features, but we can dissect the indicators for the three distinct variants. All will use Mitsubishi's 1.5L 4A91 engine which is 1499cc and has 104 PS, and all variants will be seven-seaters of course.
The first variant is a 1.5L with a 5-speed manual transmission and will measure 4475mm long, 1750mm wide, and 1700mm tall. The second variant has the same dimensions but the 1.5L is paired up with a 4-speed automatic. We expect that these two variants will be the mid-spec models of the Livina line; Nissan will probably call these two the VE variants.
We believe that the VE variant is most likely because in Indonesia, the VE is the one that has a height of 1700mm, whilst the EL has a height of 1695mm. What made the difference is the wheel size, as Nissan indicated that the export models will all have 16-inch wheels. That also means that the models coming into the Philippines are the versions with 205mm of ground clearance.
The third variant is the one we expect to be the high-grade model. It will also have a 1.5L engine, a 4-speed automatic, and 16-inch wheels, but will be 2mm longer at 4477mm based on the chart. This is the version we expect to be called the VL.
We can't ascertain what exact variant nomenclature Nissan will use because the charts only indicated export codes: NLHLVP for the 1.5L MT and RPHLVP for the 1.5L AT, while the slightly longer model is tagged RHHLVP.
As to what the features will be, only the people at Nissan know, but we expect the typical strategy that they employ when it comes to product planning (features versus price). What we also don't expect is a 360-degree camera system that has made Nissans very popular; the reason is that the Livina is a Mitsubishi-produced model, and the corresponding versions in Indonesia do not have the Around-View Monitor.
But who knows? Maybe Nissan Philippines will find a way to offer those features for our market.
