After years to struggling in the Indian car market, Japanese automaker Nissan finally seems to have shifted its focus to the right product segment. At an event in Delhi, Nissan has unveiled a teaser of its upcoming sub-4m compact SUV for India.
The teaser shows the vehicle’s silhouette from waist up without discussing the name. Slated to be ready for launch sometime in the later half of 2020 (by September), the new Nissan mini SUV will enter the highly competitive segment which is currently populated by Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Maruti Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport and Mahindra XUV300.
The crossover will feature instantly recognizable Nissan family face with sharp pealed back headlamps (and a chrome trough-shaped grille element is a given), pronounced wheel arches and a steeply tapering rear fascia. The mini SUV features a flat roof, thick C-pillar with a blacked out section for floating roof effect, chrome highlight for the daytime opening and wraparound taillights. Despite the length restriction, Nissan designers have managed to give the car a proportional profile.
Interior is under wraps as of now but we expect quite a few parts sharing with the Nissan Kicks. Going by the segment standards, it’s reasonable to expect the new Nissan mini SUV to come equipped with a comprehensive touchscreen infotainment system among other modern features.
Underpinning the sub-4m Nissan crossover will be the CMF-A modular platform which will also serve the upcoming Renault HBC (codename) crossover. Initially, the SUV was supposed to be branded as Datsun but given that the budget brand is now destined to be phased out globally due to poor performance, the company decided to used Nissan branding.
The Nissan SUV for India is reported to be powered by a new 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine which will be mated either to a 5-speed manual gearbox or an AMT. Nissan is not likely to offer diesel engine since the cost structure after the BS6 update will not be favorable.
The platform will have very high local content, allowing Nissan to come up with an aggressive price point. The mini SUV will be an important product for the Japanese brand’s sustenance in the country.
