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Sentra: One of the Best Selling Cars in Automotive History
Getting into the list of the top five best selling cars in world automotive history is no easy task. It requires building a tough and reliable car that should have an enduring appeal to the wider segment of the car market, even through subsequent model changes.
Such is the case of the Sentra, which now belongs to the list of the top selling cars in world automotive history, having sold more than 15.9 million units since 1966, and surpassing the Ford Model T's 15.5 million units.
Not even the most faithful Sentra owners in the Philippines know this little known but very significant fact. Yet it speaks volumes about the Nissan's heritage as one of the top car makers in the world, and how the Sentra proudly represents Nissan in the wider segment of the car markets abroad. In fact in many regions, including the Philippines, the name Sentra has become synonymous with Nissan.
"The average car buff may not know that the Nissan Sentra/Sunny is actually one of the best selling cars in world automotive history. All what we have been hearing is the Ford Model T and the Volkswagen Beetle, among others, belong to that elite list," Virgiilio Diwa, VP for Marketing and Sales said.
Before the latest generation Sentra was introduced in the Philippines in February of this year, the Sentra series since 1966 sold around 15.9 million units in 140 countries, easily qualifying it as one of the top five best selling cars in world automotive history.
The classic VW Beetle and Toyota Corolla, both of which started production runs in 1937 and 1963, respectively, had already exceeded 20 million units sold.
Meanwhile, the Sentra already surpassed the Ford Model T, which sold15.5 million units during its product life. Another strong contender for the top five is the Lada Riva, which sold 13.5 million units from 1970 to 1998, but mostly in the European market.
The first Sentra model was known as the B10, which was powered by a 998 cc, 62-hp, four-cylinder OHV engine. It had a reputation of having a tough truck-build quality, because it was assembled at Nissan Datsun's Zama truck factory.
Aside from a basic sedan, a sporty two-door coupe and station wagon was also built before the B110 was introduced in 1970 to replace the B10. In the Philippines, the Sentra was introduced as early as 1974 but badged and sold under the Datsun name.
It was only in 1988, when Nissan Motors Philippines, Inc. (NMPI), then known as Pilipinas Nissan, Inc. (PNI), introduced the Sentra name. Called the B12, it had front-wheel drive and many firsts for a sedan, including power doorlocks and windows, power sidemirrors, and the fabled automatic climate control system. Also known as the "box-type Sentra", many of these vehicles can still be seen running in Metro Manila's streets, with a good number in excellent running condition.
The car was immediately followed by the B13 variant, carrying the grade names Super Saloon, EX Saloon, JX and the renowned LEC. These vehicles brought in the slippery rounded surfaces and clean exterior lines as well as technologies such as electronic engine management systems and anti-lock brakes (ABS) as standard equipment.
In 1995, Nissan came out with the Sentra Series III-the most popular and albeit most powerful performer of that era. When Philippine motorsports was making a comeback during that time, the Sentra was an impressive winner, and built a track record not only for speed but also for reliability as proven in the 3rd Pan Philippine Marathon, where the Sentra logged in 31,000 kilometers around the country in 30 days.
In 1995, Jojo Silverio emerged champion in the first Subic Grand Prix races driving an unmodified Sentra B13. And in 1996, Joey Almeda and his Sentra Series III broke track records by registering a low 2-minute time per lap, eventually winning the first Subic Enduro race. The Enduro involved racing continuously for four hours, with an attrition rate of almost 50%, with all five Sentras surviving and winning the race.
Then came the legendary GTS, and the sporty Super Touring. In the midst of all of these changes the LEC soldiered on with the PS version and the full-packed Spirit before finally disengaging from production in late 1999 to be replaced with the FE.
More successes followed. The Sentra took the name Exalta in the next reincarnation with the STA and SLA versions, which dominated the sales charts for passenger cars because of its content and pricing. Further pushing its acceptance, the Sentra Exalta Grandeur and Superio were introduced and brought in a new era of "the compact luxury sedan," in the market.
The new Sentra was recently introduced in the Philippines with 1.8, 1.6 and 1.3 liter engines. The top-of-the-line model, the 1.8-liter 180GT boasts of features like leather seats, carbon-fiber inserts, ABS + EBD + BA.
With its fresher image, the new Sentras in the Philippines will continue to represent the Nissan brand in the wider segment of the domestic car market, and add to the volume of Sentra models sold worldwide to remain one of the top selling cars in world history.
"The fact that the Sentra reached 15.9 million unit sales since 1966 shows that the Nissan brand enjoys prestige and a wide patronage and many parts of the world, including the Philippines," Mr Diwa added. NMPINewsService
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