Nissan has not had the best of time in India. The Japanese brand is one of the biggest car maker in the world. But in India, they sell about 500 cars on average every month. This is an extremely low number, especially when you consider that average monthly new car sales in India are over 2.5 lakh units. This means Nissan’s market share in India stands at about 0.2%.
Despite of this low sales, Nissan has not lost hope, unlike other car brands (like General Motors and Fiat more recently). Nissan continues to launch new cars in India, update their existing cars to meet new norms and every now and then push new marketing campaigns. Nissan’s newest car for India is the Kicks SUV, which takes on Hyundai Creta.
The next car Nissan is planning to launch in India, is the new generation Sunny. The same has now been spied in the US, with heavy camouflage. 2020 Nissan Sunny is slated to borrow styling inspired by Nissan V-Motion design philosophy and the newest Nissan Altima, which is on sale in the US. 2020 Nissan Sunny will sit on a longer wheelbase as compared to its current counterpart. It could sport a V shaped front grille, wrapped around headlamps, refreshed bumpers and distinctive character lines on its sides. Chrome accents will be seen all around while larger windows and rear door will also be among its feature updates.
In terms of dimensions, the new Sunny will be even longer and wider than the current Sunny. This will allow for more space on the inside for passengers. The interiors will also be updated with a host of comfort, connectivity and infotainment features along higher grade plastics. It will also come in with enhanced safety features like airbags and parking sensors along with ABS as standard.
Where engine specifications are concerned, the new Nissan Sunny could get its power via updated petrol and diesel engine options. These could be same engine options which are also offered with the newly launched Kicks SUV. The petrol engine offers 106 PS power at 5,600 rpm and 142 Nm torque at 4,000 rpm. 1.5 liter K9K diesel engine offers 110 PS power at 3,850 rpm and 240 Nm torque at 1,750 rpm. Manual as well as CVT transmission options could be on offer.
The next gen Nissan Sunny could launch in international markets by later this year, followed by launch in India sometime in 2020. In Indian markets, the Nissan Sunny is currently priced from Rs.6.99 lakhs – Rs.9.44 lakhs. It competes with the Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Vento, Skoda Rapid and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. Nissan manages to sell about 20-30 units of Sunny each month in India. In comparison, the likes of Maruti Ciaz, Honda City and Hyundai Verna register over 3k unit sales each, every month. With the launch of updated Sunny, Nissan could be hoping for added sales in India.
