Nissan Motors India Limited are planning to expand their base in India on a huge basis. That they have launched their small car, the Nissan Micra in India as well as its diesel avatar after a few months is commendable. Not to mention, the resounding success for both the iterations. Not content with it, Nissan Motors India Limited are planning a sedan based on the global V platform, the same platform on which the Nissan Micra is based on. According to the official pictures, it isn’t a hatchback strapped on with a boot like the others{read the Volkswagen Vento, Maruti Swift Dzire and the Tata Indigo Manza} moving around on the Indian roads. The pictures actually show a SX4 like styled and much like the Nissan Teana on a scaled down basis sedan.
Much alluring is the news that this car{maybe or may not be named as Nissan Sunny} would be showcased by Nissan Motors India Limited in the Guangzhou show in China. Internationally, the car is known as Nissan Sunny however in India, that right belongs to Bajaj based on their Sunny scooter. Since Nissan and Bajaj are jointly working on a ULC car for the developing markets, Bajaj may hand over the copyright to the name to Nissan Motors. How it shapes out remains to be seen. This car is an all new grounds-up effort from the company. It features a new nose job, side profile and even a rear. However, overall, it looks more like a scaled down Nissan Teana rather than a more up market version of the Nissan Micra. This car also has new color schemes other than the Nissan Micra. The interiors would be carried over from the small car and the bigger sibling would get its rounded instrument panel, rounded dash and even the same steering wheel with audio controls for the top end version. There would be Bluetooth pairing offered as well.
The wheelbase would be slightly extended from the Micra’s and this would mean more room for passengers at the rear. The flat bench from the Micra’s lower base versions would be removed and new seats with better cushioning would be put. The front seats, since they are more comfortable, would be retained in the sedan version. The boot space would also increase marginally. There would be features galore even in the lower end version. All this means that the weight of the sedan wouldn’t be much and it would be similar to the newly launched Toyota Etios. However Nissan says that they are pitting the sedan against the Volkswagen Vento rather than the Toyota Etios. The light weight of the chassis would enable for a better fuel efficiency, good performance and lower stress on the suspension parts. There would be two engines on offer. The first would be an all new 1498 cc 4 cylinder petrol motor. It will have a peak output of 100 Bhp however its light weight would give it a light footed performance than the Vento. There would also be a 1.4 liter diesel engine which puts 83 Bhp but will have 20.3 kgm of torque. It is expected that fuel efficiency as well as performance would be at par with others in its class if not more. There would be both 5 speed manual as well as automatic transmissions from the onset. The expected price would be Rs.6.5 lakhs for the base manual petrol car and going upto Rs.9 lakhs for the top end automatic transmission. It remains to be seen if the auto transmission would be offered in the diesel as well. The car would be launched beginning of September 2011.
By this time, Nissan Motors India Limited would have already set up atleast 50 service as well as sales outlet. Expected just after this car is the CBU unit, the Nissan Murano which is a full sized SUV and would be priced at approximately Rs.30 lakhs. It would be offered with a diesel motor to start with and once the sales figures take off, based on customer demand, a petrol motor would be introduced as well. Nissan’s other plans include the launch of the Nissan ULC which would be priced below Rs.2.5 lakhs and would compete head on with the Tata Nano and the Hyundai H800. Nissan Motors India Limited are also influenced with the success of BMW India since they have set up shop only 4 years back in India and have as of now recently rolled out their 10,000 vehicle manufactured in India. They also have a higher brand image in India as compared to other markets where both compare at par. As of now, there is no direct product in India that both compete on however with the advent of the Nissan Murano, there would be chances of competition albeit not on price level but on the size. The Nissan Murano would compete against the likes of the BMW X3, Audi Q5 and so on.
NISSAN SUNNY TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE: 1500cc Petrol and 1395 cc Diesel
MAX. POWER: 100 Bhp @ 6000 rpm, 88 Bhp @ 4,300 rpm
MAX. TORQUE: 148 Nm @ 4000 rpm, 163 Nm @ 2,300 rpm
BODY TYPE: Sedan
SEGMENT: C+ Segment
FUEL TYPE: Petrol, Diesel
SUSPENSION: McPherson Strut, Torsion Beam
GEAR TRANSMISSION: 5 Speed Manual and 5 speed CVT
L x W x H: 4495 x 1695 x 1445 (mm)
TYRES: 165/70 R 14
BRAKES:
Front:- Disk
Rear:- Drum
STEERING: Electronically Power assisted
SEATING CAPACITY: 5
TANK CAPACITY: 43 Liters
PRICE: Rs. 6.5 lakhs to 9 lakhs {Estimated}
Of course, one more pat for Nissan motors india on launching Sunny, the long expected one. But if they are not careful in choosing dealership they are going to loose many elite customers. The one like EVM nissan in kerala has to removed from the dealership list itself. Their behaviour is too atrocious in their services,Nissan will have the fate of Fiat as held up with TVS motors. The way they behave for the free service is too much. Placing an old dirtiest newspapper at the footsteps after the service will create a very bad name and bad image among the public. Hope the company will take care of it.