Car manufacturer Nissan has decided to pull out of the local car sales market, meaning the Isle of Wight will soon no longer have a Nissan dealership. It has been confirmed that Staddlestones in Ryde has been placed on notice by the Japanese marque after representing the brand for more than 25 years – but it remains unclear at this stage exactly when the axe will fall. Nissan decided last year that the new car market simply wasn’t large enough to sustain the level of investment required in 20 different areas of the country, including the Isle of Wight. The news means that Islanders will soon no longer be able to buy a brand new Nissan locally. It follows the loss of BMW, Mini, Fiat and Abarth last month, plus the loss of Audi and Honda some years ago. Chris Perkis, Managing Director at Staddlestones Nissan, has told Island Echo:
“As things stand we are still able to order and deliver new Nissan cars, and are indeed doing so on a regular basis. “After more than twenty-five years representing Nissan, we can assure everyone that this wasn’t our decision, and the sales franchise will not be transferring to another dealer. “We fully intend to retain the aftersales franchise, meaning that we will be able to continue to look after our customers’ Nissan vehicles in terms of servicing, repair and warranty work”.
It has been confirmed that no jobs will be lost as a result of the change in dealership status. Existing staff are in the process of being trained and transferred to Staddlestones Peugeot, which will continue to operate as normal from Brading Road in Ryde. Chris adds:
“We’d like to thank the many hundreds of people that have bought new Nissan vehicles from us in the past, and assure them that they will continue to receive the same high-quality and friendly service that they always have”.
