Murano rivals boring and not premium enough, says UMC exec

by Vernon B. Sarne 25 Mar 2010

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In the morning before the big launch night for the second-generation Nissan Murano, Universal Motors Corporation senior vice president Elizabeth Lee was in confident fighting form, taking swings left and right at her crossover's perceived competition. UMC, the official distributor of Nissan commercial vehicles in the country (Nissan passenger cars are distributed by Nissan Motor Philippines), is taking over the Murano nameplate after NMPI marketed and sold the first-generation model.

In an intimate brunch interview with a select group of journalists in Makati, Lee was asked which SUVs the Murano is directly competing with, when somebody made the mistake of mentioning the Mazda CX-9. "No, the new Murano is not competing with the CX-9," answered Lee. "It's not premium enough. The real rival of the Murano is the Lexus RX."

Then someone pointed out that the CX-9--while some 300mm longer than the previous Murano--used to be regularly pitted against the Nissan crossover in comparative tests. "That was before," Lee countered. "It's different now. The new Murano is so much better and has a more premium feel to it."

Perhaps Lee--who also serves as president of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines--dissed the CX-9 to justify the new Murano's P3.1 million price tag, a huge jump from the old model's P2.68 million sticker price. For the record, the CX-9 costs P2.9 million, while the Lexus RX (which Lee insists is the more appropriate challenger to the new Murano) is priced at P4.2 million.

The Mazda CX-9 was not the only SUV at the receiving end of Lee's verbal jabs. When describing the new Murano's cabin, she used the Porsche Cayenne as a portly punching bag. "Take the cockpit of the Cayenne," she said. "Then remove the Porsche badge from it. It's boring."

Asked what specific category the new Murano belongs to, Lee answered, "premium crossovers." Egged to give a projection as to how huge this segment might be this year, she admitted that the category is not that big, especially since the "bottom vehicles in this segment, like the Volvo XC60," are still pretty expensive. Apparently, compared to the new Murano, the XC60--whose cheapest variant costs almost P3.5 million--is a bottom-dweller.

And then Lee quickly realized the implication of her use of the word "bottom" (and probably also the fact that Volvo vehicles are distributed by UMC affiliate Viking Cars). "Wait, I didn't mean bottom as in ‘bottom'," she explained.

"Yes, you meant ‘affordable'," this writer volunteered, winking at colleagues.

(In photo, from left: Nissan Motor Ltd. chief product specialist Youichi Iwamoto, Universal Motors Philippines executive vice president Elizabeth Lee, and Nissan Motor Ltd. chief product designer Kinishi Saitou.)

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COMMENTS

• AM says The real competitor for the Nissan Murano really is the Ford Edge, Mazda CX-7 and Toyota Venza. The CX-9 is much bigger and competes in a different category. (And yes, you've seen it right, the CX-7 is the CLOSEST competitor.) (25 March 2010)
• AM says *competitors (25 March 2010)
• tony b says The Murano is an interesting addition to the mid-size suv segment comprised of the pajero, cx9, tribeca and prado. What is clear is that UMC is bent on creating a premium image for its new vehicles. Talked to a sale person at Nissan Alabang recently about the new Patrol. The guy mentioned a price between Php 5.5 to 6 Mn. I bluntly told him that kind of money puts the Patrol squarely in X5, ML and Q7 territory. While I admire Nissan's chutzpah, their pricing strategy effectively alienates many potential buyers. (25 March 2010)
• lamborghinione says Until now, the waiting list for the CX-7 is still long... the 3.1M premium Murano wont be a treat to both CX-7 and CX-9 local sales. (25 March 2010)
• 112 says I don't care if the XC60 is more expensive than the Murano. Well you're paying for your safety like the city safety. Also Volvo hass a diesel engine so it's efficient, and lastly the Volvo is MORE nice looking than the Murano... There is also the Audi Q5. Which is more sportier and luxurious. So the Murano can be a bit BORING and BLAND too.. Stop being feelers Nissan. Your cars are old and no ones buying your cars because there are other choices. so just BACK-OFF!!! (25 March 2010)
• BOOGIECAT says The Volvo is so bland and its very pricey to maintain!The new generation Patrol is aimed at a much more premium market dahil mas malaki na ang engine nya,body nya at mas maganda na ang features nya! (25 March 2010)
• Roger says Kung ikumpara nila sa lexus malayo ang murano at maiksi kaysa lexus mas maganda pa nga ang honda crv...... para ka lng nangtapon nang pera...... (25 March 2010)
• Mr.Driver says ANO? NAGTATAPON NG PERA? KAPAL MONG MAGSABI NANG GANYAN. Bakit? nakasakay ka na ba dyan? naranasan mo na bang magdrive ng mamamahaling sasakyan? Mga Pilipino talaga.... mapanghusga masyado kaya hindi umuunlad itong p*t*ng in*ng Pilipinas. (25 March 2010)
• jmg_32188 says oh yeah boogiecat is right.. PMS won't be too costly with Murano since it's a Japanese model.. btw, cx-7 is not in line with murano imho.. it has a low roofline and the quality of interior is not that good.. (25 March 2010)
• BOOGIECAT says Roger ang PANGIT nang Honda CRV mo at yan lang kaya mo kasi POOR KA!Maganda talaga ang Murano! (25 March 2010)
• !!! says wahahahahaha super feeling! it's so funny it's pathetic! (25 March 2010)
• BOOGIECAT says Mas pathetic ang Toyota! (25 March 2010)
• boogiedog says boogiecat member ka ba sa forums? (25 March 2010)
• boogiemouse says This post was deleted due to its inappropriate content. Please click this link to read our posting guidelines. – Webmaster
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• Hmm says @Roger baka naman Nissan rogue ang gusto mo sabihin katapat ng crv, same price range sila.. bakit naman kc pag nakita na madami bibili eh tinataasan agad ang price Gaya ng mga Korean cars.. nawawala tuloy mga potential buyers.. And sobra naman manlait yan si ms lee pati isang brand Nila na lait Nya.. Daig pa si bob arum sa pagpropromote... (25 March 2010)
• BOOGIECAT says Family din ni Elizabeth Lee ang owners nang Hyundai,Chevrolet at Volvo sa Philippines!Malabo ang Nissan Rogue dito dahil mas priority ng Nissan ang next generation X-Trail! (25 March 2010)
• boogiesucks says This post was deleted due to its inappropriate content. Please click this link to read our posting guidelines. – Webmaster
• boogieass says This post was deleted due to its inappropriate content. Please click this link to read our posting guidelines. – Webmaster
• Leopaul says In my opinion, the real rivals of the second generation Murano are the BMW X3, Ford Escape, Mitsubishi Pajero, Subaru Outback, Range Rover, Lexus RX, BMW X5, and MB M-Class. Guess she state it honestly that the CX-9 wasn't premium enough. Darn, but that's the bottom line. (26 March 2010)
• stongchef says BMWX5 na lang mas maganda pa at mas maporma poging-pogi ang dating compare sa mura-no ang mahal nga nyan !!!!!!!! (26 March 2010)
• John Martin C. Balinghasay says the Murano is a midsize non-luxury crossover and its direct competitiors are the cx-7, sorento and sante-fe. Compact luxury crossovers like xc60, glk, x1 and rx350 are out of its league. Nissan is just mentioning Lexus to justify the high price of the murano. The cx-9, tribeca and veracruz are the ones competing with each other as large crossovers. Compact crossovers are crv, rav, escape/tribute, tucson/sportage, outlander, forester, captiva and vitara (26 March 2010)
• BOOGIECAT says stongchef 7 seater ang X5 at saka sobrang mahal nyan!!Mukha pang lumang X5!Di na kasama sa midsize non-luxury crossover ang CX-7 rito dahil ka-liga yan nang CRV at RAV4 dito while yung Sorento at Santa Fe eh katapat nyan ay Montero Sport at Fortuner na mas mura.The Murano is way better than the XC60,GLX,X1 and very pricey RX350! (26 March 2010)
• suv says a little bit late here but i like murano, there's something in it that fascinates me, i saw a black murano owned by a local staff in the gas plant in West Africa and it's cool. (26 March 2010)
• KRAM says Whatever. How can nissan say that their cars are premium ones if they can't even launch it simultaneously with other countries? I'll still buy a CX-9 no matter what they say... hi LOLO MURANO! (26 March 2010)
• avm says mahal, mahal. parang facelift lang ng previous model. (26 March 2010)
• 458 says nabasa nyo ba yung article dito before na murano is based from infiniti car and besides di naman siguro tataasan ang price nyan kung wala namang basis. check nyo muna bago kayo manghusga kung san napunta yung sobrang taas na price. (26 March 2010)
• :-) says Really nice SUV!, but I think Nissan's Infiniti FX is more of a competitor to the Lexus RX than the Murano. (26 March 2010)
• boogieman says No. you mean infiniti EX. (26 March 2010)
• hello says it's infiniti FX vs Lexus RX. Though Infiniti EX also competes with Lexus RX. Also, US Murano is different from the European Murano, which we are getting. The US Murano is more of an everyday crossover, while the European one is more on the luxurious side. They are the same car, although with different treatment (26 March 2010)
• John Martin C. Balinghasay says the murano is based on a frontwheel drive platform the same with altima, maxima/teana while the infiniti EX and FX are REARwheel drive platform shared with the G37 and 370z. so the murano does not share any components with any infiniti model. and the murano is way overpriced for a NON-luxury 5 seater. Volvo, MB, Audi, Lexus and BMW are expensive as they are because they are luxury car brands. and the Murano has a diesel variant sold in europe that competes with CX-7, Santa fe and Sorento at the same price range because they are all UNIBODY crossover while montero sport, fortuner, alterra and everest are all BODY ON FRAME platforms based on Pickups so they dont compete with each other eventhough they might have the same price range here locally. (26 March 2010)
• Sudero says The Nissan brand is never premium enough, the name is just too pedestrian. The real rival for the Lexus RX should be an Infiniti. (26 March 2010)
• KRAM says Infiniti talaga ang premium, at hindi Nissan! Premium ba yan e luma na yan, 2 years old na kaya yang Murano! hi LOLO MURANO (26 March 2010)
• Sudero says that Elizabeth Lee is nuts, she doesnt know what shes talking about...even if the Murano is much better than the Lexus RX in performance and amenities, the brand conscious Filipino would never consider it a premium brand. Its the same as saying as that Nissan Exalta is the true rival of the Lexus IS..lol! (26 March 2010)
• Mojo-Jojo says Tingnan lang natin kung bebenta dito yan. Siguradong isa nanaman yan sa mga lalangawin sa showroom. mwahahaha (26 March 2010)
• kbm says this Elizabeth Lee is really something... it's so sad that inspite of the fact that her family is a major player in the industry, not to mention being the president of CAMPI, she is still ignorant about vehicles... tsk,tsk... buti na lang medyo hot siya... hehe (26 March 2010)
• feeter says Yabang naman ni Elizabeth Lee (26 March 2010)
• feeter says Ang totoong rival ng Murano eh Hyundai Tucson! di ba? (26 March 2010)
• John Martin C. Balinghasay says we could say pricewise and class-wise the closest rivals would be the newly released subaru outback and the ancient mitsubishi endeavor. (26 March 2010)
• AA says Mas type ko cx-9... (26 March 2010)
• .Mamang tsuper says It's just another SUV! Why make a big fuss about it? Tingnan na lang natin kung tatagal ang Murano sa lubak lubak na kalsada ng Maynila. (26 March 2010)
• hello says hyundai tucson is an entry level crossover SUV. While the Murano is on the midsize crossover SUV. They are different in levels so they are not considered rivals. Xtrail/Rogue/Qashqai vs Tucson is the right one. (26 March 2010)
• AM says @jmg_32188 - No, they are actually both classified as mid-size crossovers. Therefore competing in the same category. The problem here is that competition is always identified by price. People should think more. (26 March 2010)
• AM says @feeter- I'd have to agree with you with Elizabeth Lee having hopes too high for the Murano. Brand identity always contributes to one's attraction to a car. And no, the Hyundai Tucson is in the compact crossover segment. (26 March 2010)
• BOOGIECAT says KRAM lolo narin ang CX-9 na overpriced din(from 2.6M at naging 2.9M Pesos!).Dok John intindihin mo nalang ang pasyente mo sa hospital dahil (26 March 2010)
• Leopaul says But the real opponent was the GMC Terrain. Tama ba ako? Or maybe the Terrain's not premium enough? (26 March 2010)
• Ferdinand says What she say's about the Porsche Cayenne?? Murano is out of it's league, no comparo! (27 March 2010)
• BOOGIECAT says GMC Terrain is based sa Chevy Captiva platform kaya iba yan.Hayaan nyo nang magyabang yang si Ms Lee dahil okay naman talaga ang Murano SL Premium na binebenta nila..Ferdinand LAOS NA ANG CAYENNE!! (27 March 2010)
• AM says @BOOGIECAT The GMC Terrain does not share its platform with the Chevy Captiva. It shares its platform with the Chevy Equinox. Just to let you know the Chevy Captiva is a Daewoo. (27 March 2010)
• BOOGIECAT says AM wala akong paki dyan sa GMC Terrain nayan..Di naman bagay yan dito!May mga buyers na nang Murano SL Premium! (27 March 2010)
• stongchef says ha ha ha ha ha supalpal ka no???puro ka specs sablay naman mag BMWX5 na lang mas poging-pogi ang dating at mas maporma pa takaw tingin hindi katulad nyan mahalno (27 March 2010)
• BOOGIECAT says stongchef ikaw ang takaw tingin at hanggang bulok na Honda Civic 1.8 S ka nalang!!BMW X5?Kayang ilampaso yan nang Nissan Murano no!Ano SUPALPAL KA NO!!HAHAHA!! (27 March 2010)
• stongchef says oh kaya mag legendary PAJERO na lang kung may bagong model ang mitsu sigurado alaw`s binabat yang what`s the name again?? mahalno!! pikon taga TGP!!!!!!!! (27 March 2010)
• BOOGIECAT says stongchef gusto mo nang overpriced na Pajero BK..Eh di mag Kia Mohave or Hyundai Veracruz ka nalang! (27 March 2010)
• stongchef says ano nga pala yung pangalan ng suv na may ceramic disc brake BOOGIECAT ??? hulaan mo yun ang mas astig in terms of specs hindi yang premium daw neverheard !!!!!OLD MODEL binebenta pa rin sa pinas!!! (27 March 2010)
• AM says @BOOGIECAT- I do like the Murano, I like evry single detail of it. However, The only that I don't like here is that Ms. Elizabeth Lee is looking up too high and that its price could be a little lower. Also, it could have been released earlier. (27 March 2010)
• BOOGIECAT says If they're now following yung JPEPA tax cut sa CBU imports na galing Japan eh magiging mura tong Murano SL Premium. (27 March 2010)
• AM says @BOOGIECAT- And I heard that the customs people get a lot of money from the taxes people pay for imported cars? Corruption, is it? Murano sells for half its price abroad. (27 March 2010)
• hello says HMM. This variant's European Murano costs around P2.3 million. While the US Murano sells for about P1.6 million. The Taiwan Murano costs about P3.0 million. Lastly, the Japanese Murano costs about P2.0 million. I like Murano too, but it is just overpriced. How it got there is my question? Unless they got the car and pricing from Taiwan. (27 March 2010)
• hello says HMM. This variant's European Murano costs around P2.3 million. While the US Murano sells for about P1.6 million. The Taiwan Murano costs about P3.0 million. Lastly, the Japanese Murano costs about P2.0 million. I like Murano too, but it is just overpriced. How it got there is my question? Unless they got the car and pricing from Taiwan. (27 March 2010)
• boogiedog says @AM, the captiva is a real chevy. it shares the same platform with the opel antara and gmc terrain (28 March 2010)
• stongchef says ok guys look at ms.Lee may K naman na magyabang still crispy!!he he he forget the car ok!!!!!ggggrrrrrr (28 March 2010)
• Lee Kum Kee says Yeah!!! Ms. Lee is one hot momma!!! (28 March 2010)
• Kikkoman Shoyu says Yeah she's hot, I wonder what's under her bonnet? (28 March 2010)
• KRAM says @BOOGIECAT, the CX-9 is a bit old pero at least sunod tayo sa modelo. and speaking of the cayenne, parang di naman sila magkalaban ng murano so why compare? at bakit ka magyayabang about what u know about the GMC terrain tapos sasabihin mong walang kwenta yun kapag may nakabistong mali ang bibibigay mong info dito? ayoko ng away but you provoke us to do so. puro opinions natin ang nandito so why won't we just respect each other's ideas?! (28 March 2010)
• MazdaPhils says I think sales will speak for itself. There are more CX-9's than there are Muranos on the road. (28 March 2010)
• haayyy says anu ba kau..ang tunay na rival ng murano sa international markey ay ang honda pilot,toyota highlander,mazda cx9,subaru tribeca pati narin ung mitsubishi endeavor at hyundai veracruz..ung ang main competitors nyahn..hndi ang x5,cayenne,glk..kung ano2 pa pinagssbi nyo.. (28 March 2010)
• Hmm says @haayyy di kami me sabi nyan kundi si ms. Lee, binasa mo ba yun article? Sama mo pa jaan sa list mo yung Volvong nilait nya..hayynakuu...lol (28 March 2010)
• stongchef says i dont like the car!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but please Ms.Lee visit me in my dreams!!!!!!!!!wwhhoooaaa he he he he!!!!! (28 March 2010)
• BOOGIECAT says KRAM late din dumating dito ang Mazda CX-9 kung di mo alam(3.5 Liter V6 ang unang engine nyan bago maging 3.7 Liter V6).PAHIYA KA RIN!! (28 March 2010)
• fortis says In the U.S. this car competes with the Ford Edge and Mazda CX7. Oh and before I forget let's include the Hyundai Santa Fe into the mix. (28 March 2010)
• AM says @fortis - I just mentioned that earlier. (28 March 2010)
• jmg_32188 says @ AM: you said, "The problem here is that competition is always identified by price. People should think more".. that's why i said in my previous post "IMHO".. it's my opinion, and i thought twice for that.. did i compare the two according to price?.. i compared them according to interior quality and roofline.. (28 March 2010)
• hhhhhhhmmmmmmm... says para walang away, walang competitor ang murano haha. nag-iisa siya. huwag na kayo mag-away saka respeto naman sa opinion ng bawat isa. saka read between the lines muna. nakakahiya na ang website ng TGP. puro away ang comments dito. di ito discussion area. peace hehe. (28 March 2010)
• jmg_32188 says @ AM: i'm not angry.. i'm just saying what i really meant to.. =D (28 March 2010)
• AM says @jmg_32188- Oh, sorry. :| I just forgot what IMHO means. I'm very sorry if ever I offended you, but what I said wasn't exactly for you. :) (29 March 2010)
• VAN says I don't live in the Philippines anymore so I'm just wondering, does UMC and NMPI have separate dealerships or shared? Murano is a great mid-size crossover vehicle, but in no ways is it as premium as UMC advertises. (29 March 2010)
• Connect says @Van UMC and NMPI are still different companies (UMC for LCVs and NMPI for passenger cars). Nissan japan granted UMC to officially distribute Murano, thinking mapapaganda nila sales ng Murano. They felt that NMPI did not do a good job with the Murano (29 March 2010)
• KRAM says @BOOGIECAT, di naman TWO YEARS LATE di gaya ng IBA DYAN! (29 March 2010)
• Hmm says UMC+NMPI +TAX= OVERPRICE (29 March 2010)
• VAN says @Connect, yes i know they are different companies. My question is if they share Nissan dealerships/sales floor. I noticed in the UMC website that their list of dealerships is the same as NMPI's list. (30 March 2010)
• lurker says @VAN - Yes, NMPI and UMC share showrooms. (30 March 2010)
• pogi says Nissan kills yourself. i owned old Murano it was 2.5M. its nice car but not worth for more then 3M. I loved this car but if someone ask me to buy new Murano with 3M, I will say no. In Korea Murano sold 1.99M but here 3.1M? I will buy BMW or BENZ. Ms LEE want more money from poor filipinos... its said. (04 April 2010)
• gerbo says LOL! It's affordable dapat kapag premium medyu mahal paaffordable affordable pa hindi lng talaga premium yan looks palang talo na yan ehh.......bbli nlng ako ng prado or a pajero......... (06 April 2010)
• BOOGIETIGER says this is st*p*d. the murano is not a compact luxury suv. the infiniti ex is! so it shouldn't be compared to any lexus, bmw etc. (12 April 2010)
• fconnect says please bring NISSAN TIIDA!!!! (24 April 2010)
• cars says yeah its cool and matipid sa gas yan (10 May 2010)
• median says Nakakatawa ang ibang post dito, parang mga bata. Kitang-kita talaga na mga walang wheels. Kung meron sana eh 'di feedback ang binibigay, hindi "opinions". Nakakatawa pa, 'di pa marunong tumahimik at magbasa na lang ng opinion ng iba. Don't tell me you're going to buy a car based on somebody else's opinion. Get real, grow up! (22 May 2010)
• alfonso says pangit ng murano parang malaking garapata... (26 May 2010)