Nissan Indian has made aggressive plans to increase its market share in the Indian market. The Japanese company plans to launch new models in 2013 and in total 10 models by 2016. Nissan also share more details on the Datsun brand which revived specially for the emerging markets like India, Russia and Latin America.
The media gathering was addressed by Mr. Toshiyuki Shiga, Chief Operating Officer, Nissan Motor Co. along with Mr. Toru Hasegawa, Corporate Vice President – Africa, Middle East and India and Mr. Takayuki Ishida, Managing Director and CEO of Nissan Motor India in Chennai.
Nissan’s product plans for the Indian Market
Micra CVT: Nissan’s small car, the Micra will receive the X-Tronic CVT which was recently introduced by Renault on the Scala Automatic. The CVT transmission will be offered on the petrol engine and will compete with the likes of Honda Brio, Maruti Suzuki Ritz and Hyundai i10.
Nissan is also planning to launch a low cost, Active variant of the Micra. The company may also give the car a mild refresh to the hatch, which mainly includes tweaked head lamps, tail lamps and slightly revised interiors.
Sunny CVT: We expect the Sunny CVT to make it before the Micra CVT and will also have the same gear box as on the Scala. The Sunny Automatic will have an advantage in terms of pricing and could undercut the Scala by Rs.20-30,000. Expect the Sunny CVT to start at Rs. 7.75-7.85 lakhs.
The Sunny CVT will be an important model and could help to increase its appeal especially in the metro’s where one has drive through muddled traffic.
Nissan Compact SUV: Nissan Compact SUV will be the real game changer for the company like the Duster helped Renault to changes its image in the Indian market. Nissan has refused to comment on this model, but we are certain the SUV will be based on the Renault Duster and will be offered in similar configurations like the Duster. Styling will be similar to the Nissan Xtrail and will be offered in the all-wheel drive option from day one.
The compact SUV will definitely be more value for money and will give the Ford EcoSport and Mahindra Quanto some stiff competition.
Datsun: The launch of the Datsun brand was probably one of the biggest announcements by Nissan in 2012. Nissan is bringing back the Datsun three decades after shelving the brand that helped build its U.S. business. The Datsun brand will be launch towards the end of 2013 and will start with small car in the compact segment based on the Micra and a smaller offering which will be positioned below the compact car in the Rs. 3-4 lakh bracket. Work is under progress at the Renault-Nissan Technical and Business development Center India.
Nissan has set a target of 10 per cent market share in India by the end of fiscal 2016. To achieve this target, the company is planning to launch 10 models till 2016 and planning to expand its dealership network to 300 from the current 95.
In 2012 the company sold close to 50,000 units and is looking to sell 100,000 units in 2013.
