NISSAN BECOMES FIRST LOCAL CAR MANUFACTURER TO OFFER AFFORDABLE ARMOURED PROTECTION
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Nissan Hardbody with armour
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Nissan South Africa has added a unique new option to its product range which offers Nissan owners greater personal security and peace of mind.
Responding to customers’ needs, Nissan is now offering affordable armoured protection of its Almera cars, Hardbody pickups and X-TRAIL and Patrol SUVs.
In conjunction with leading armoured protection company Armour Systems and Projects, of Alrode near Johannesburg, Nissan has become the first South African vehicle manufacturer to offer such an option on its products locally and at an affordable price.
“For some time now we have been developing this unique product offering and have worked closely with the security industry as well as Agri SA’s farmer safety project,” says Mike Whitfield, Nissan’s director of sales and marketing.
“Armoured vehicles are not unique in South Africa, but they come at a very high price. What we have done is enter into a partnership with the country’s leading armoured protection company whereby we have been able to develop a security option for our customers that is affordable and meets their needs.”
The armouring is designed to give protection against firearms up to 9 mm parabellum level (which account for approximately 85% of all crimes committed with a gun), and involves replacing all the glass (front and rear windscreens and side windows) and fitting steel armour inside the doors. Door pillars are also armoured as are the engine compartment firewall and the bulkhead behind the rear seat.
Driver and front passenger windows operate normally, while rear passenger windows are fixed shut, unless otherwise specified.
In addition, the Nissan package includes a locally-developed run-flat tyre device that consists of a metal band that fills the well of the tyre rim. This enables the driver to travel up to 15 km at a maximum speed of around 18 km/h on a flat tyre.
“We’ve been involved in armouring for about 30 years, supplying a service to the military and cash-in-transit companies, for example, and started armouring cars five or six years ago,” says Armour Systems and Projects operations director, Grant Austin. “In an effort to keep the high costs down we purchased our own glass company and today we supply bullet resistant glass that is SABS-approved and appreciably less expensive that imported BRG.
“Although we still provide an armouring service to the owner of any make of car, the agreement with Nissan allows us to take advantage of volume production and we have an exclusive agreement with them to supply armouring at this much more affordable price.”
The Nissan conversion, ordered through the Nissan dealer and completed by Armour Systems at their Alrode facility, costs 50% less than imported conversions. The cost of an armoured Hardbody Double Cab or Almera sedan, for example, is approximately R46 000 and a Hardbody Single Cab approximately R36 000. The conversion is now also available on the Patrol SUV 4x4 station wagon, while the X-TRAIL option will follow soon.
Nissan Finance, the vehicle financing arm of Nissan South Africa have come up with an innovative package where the cost of the conversion is included in the principal debt that requires financing. The monthly repayments on a Hardbody Single Cab, for example, will increase by as little as R565 per month over a standard 60 month contract period, while insurance excess normally payable in the case of a vehicle hijacking will fall away.
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