Nissan Philippines recently launched the updated Almera, bearing a new look, and more importantly, being the first in Nissan’s lineup to get the new NissanConnect Services. What sets this new Almera apart from the previous one, apart from the nice new body colors, the next generation V-motion grille up front and new interior trim. Of course, what you’re probably more curious about is NissanConnect Services. When so equipped, your Almera is more than just a conveyance from point A to B, it also looks out for you, and your interests. This new service monitors the Almera’s state and status. It sends alerts, offers services and gives you remote capabilities from your cellphone, wherever you are within reach of internet. At its most basic, NissanConnect Services allows you to start and stop the engine, lock and unlock the doors, trigger the horn and lights to sound and flash, and in the event you forget where you parked, or in the unfortunate case of car theft, lets you find your car — even when you’re far from the car.

Ready for emergencies

It’s equipped with lifesaving features like the Automatic Collision Notification, this works in the event of a severe collision where occupants may be injured or unconscious. Airbag deployment will trigger an automatic call to Nissan’s Emergency Support Center, which will then route an accredited local ambulance service to the scene of the accident using your GPS location. In the cabin of the Almera is the SOS Emergency Call Button, located on the ceiling, in front of the rear view mirror. How does this work? In the event of an extreme medical emergency where immediate assistance is needed, all the driver would need to do is press the SOS Emergency Call Button. This places a call to Nissan’s Emergency Support Center, and again will route an accredited local ambulance service to the location of the emergency using your GPS location.

Vehicle status

Sometimes, when we least expect it, certain mechanical issues can pop up at the most inopportune moments. This is why the Vehicle Health Report is very useful. Just a tap on your phone can have the NissanConnect Services app perform a check on your Almera, and inform you of any issues that maybe looming or have been detected by the system. The app will show the Almera’s “health”, and suggest actions in case malfunctions show up. This is ideal before road trips, or you can perform this as you leave your house every day.

Location

Zone, Curfewand Speed Alert are features that work together to ensure the safety and security of your vehicle. Zone allows you to set a geographical “zone” that the vehicle will be allowed to drive in or around, and when the Almera leaves the designated zone, an alert will be sent to the app on the phone. Curfew allows you to set a time window when you permit the vehicle to be on or running, The app will alert you if someone turns on the ignition before or after the permitted time. Speed Alert is self-explanatory, and alerts you if the Almera is driven faster than the maximum speed set on the app. These features are pretty handy if your vehicle is driven by someone you need to monitor, like a valet, company driver or even your teenager. Finally, Theft Alert will inform you of an attempted break in along with time and location data which you can provide to law enforcement to aid in their investigation.

Long term

There are also additional features useful to the owner, like Driving History. This logs vehicle usage, with distance driven, and time on the road. This allows you track vehicle operational costs and check if it’s being used efficiently. And finally Maintenance Reminder, this is handy for most of us who get bogged down in our daily  routines, and by using the NissanConnect Services app to set reminders using either mileage or date as parameters for the alert, you can make sure that your Almera is always up to date with it’s maintenance schedule. How does this all work? First, your Almera is equipped with a hardware module with an eSim with data that allows it to connect to one of our mobile networks to access the internet. This is required for your car to be able to connect to Nissan’s Cloud Servers and allow the car to communicate with the app on your phone. This is also the conduit to be able to connect to Nissan’s Emergency Support Center for emergency and accident response and Nissan’s Customer Support. Pairing your car to your app is easy, download the app from Google Play or Apple Store, register with details required, verify email, you will be asked to enter your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and enter current odometer reading. This service is available for free to owners of the new Almera 1,0L VL CVT which is the only variant equipped with it. The subscription is free for three years after registration. It turns out that NissanConnect Services is handy, with potentially lifesaving features just silently running in the background. These include a car health check available at a moments notice, reminding you that your Almera’s PMS is due and keeping track of your vehicle’s location, plus how fast it’s being driven. It will definitely enhance the ownership experience.