Nissan launches new Micra, Micra Active starting Rs 3.50L
Nissan launched the refreshed version of its hatchback Micra on Wednesday. The new Micra is priced at Rs 4.7 lakh and will compete with other premium compact cars. The Micra Active, which will target the more value customers, is priced at Rs 3.50 lakh.
July 04, 2013 / 08:29 IST
Nachiket Kelkar
moneycontrol.com
Japanese car maker Nissan has set itself an ambitious target to sell 1 lakh vehicles in India in the current financial year, almost triple year-on-year. Last year its sales grew only 11 percent to 37,000 units.Nissan is pinning its hopes on the refreshed versions of the Micra hatchback and its other products like the Sunny sedan, and expansion of its sales and service network to help it achieve its target.However, the drive is certainly not going to be a breeze. The company launched the Micra in India in July 2010 and it has not set the market on fire. In the last three years only 43,000 units of the Micra have been sold. Also, the overall demand in the passenger car industry in India remains sluggish and things are unlikely to change at least till the festive season begins."The economy and market situation is not favourable. I know it is challenging, but I have no intentions to give up the aspiration...I think we can still challenge our 1 lakh ambition for this fiscal year," Kenichiro Yomura, President & CEO, Nissan Motor India, said in an interaction with reporters.Nissan on Wednesday launched the new facelifted Micra and Micra Active on Wednesday. The new Micra is priced at Rs 4.79 lakh for the petrol version and Rs 5.99 lakh for the diesel version and is a premium refresh to the existing Micra. The new Micra will target other premium compact cars in the B+ segment, like the Maruti Suzuki Swift. The Micra Active (existing Micra with minor changes) is priced at Rs 3.50 lakh and will take on the B segment cars like the Chevrolet Beat and Maruti Suzuki WagonR.Apart from the 5-speed manual transmission, the new Micra will also come with continuously variable transmission (CVT) gearbox variant, which the company says is the first in the segment.That apart, the new Micra's length has been increased by 45mm to 3,825mm and gets a sculpted bonnet, front bumper with signature V-shaped chrome grill, redesigned rear bumper, bright LED tail lamps, premium upholstery new centre console, 2-din music system with USB among other features.Nissan claims the Micra petrol with CVT gives a mileage of 19.34 km per litre, the manual transmission Micra drives 18.44km in a litre and the Micra Active clocks 19.49km in a litre.The 1.5 litre diesel powered Micra delivers a mileage of 23.08 kmpl, it adds.Nissan hopes to sell 2,500 units of the new Micra and Micra Active together.EVALIA REFRESH ON CARDSMicra is not just the only product that is undergoing a refresh. Nissan is also looking at refreshing its MUV Evalia, which was only launched last year, but is selling much below its initial target of selling close to 2,000 units per month.Yomura feels the company focused more on the individual customers rather than the fleet operators and that hurt sales. Also Nissan wasn't able to communicate Evalia's advantages more effeciently, he believes. "I think the quickest way to increase volumes is to approach fleet customers...I never give up...I think for Evalia, there's a lot we can do, including a refresh," he said.Nissan is in a "serious discussion" to refresh the Evalia, Yomura added.10% MARKET SHARE BY FY16Nissan currently has only 1.5 percent market share in India, but that has not stopped it from betting big on growth here. It still hopes to touch a 10 percent market share in the country by FY16.Yomura says 10 new launches, which include the likes of Micra, Terrano, a compact SUV based on the Duster sold by French car maker Renault (its global alliance partner), Sunny CVT and the Datsun branded cars, apart from an improved sales and service network, should help it achieve its target.The company recently released a sketch of its first Datsun car that will be unveiled in a world premiere in Delhi later this month. It will be launched in 2014.Nissan also plans to increase its dealer network from the current 98 to 300 by FY16.Nissan's sales and marketing in India is handeled by Hover Automotive. Yomura said that partnership will continue and Nissan had not thought of taking over sales and marketing from Hover. Also Read: Titagarh develops new products to ease rail biz slowdownnachiket.kelkar@network18online.com Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
