Nissan has slashed the prices of the automatic variant of the Micra by up to Rs 54,000 on the back of increased parts localisation. 

The base Micra XL CVT variant is now priced at Rs 599,000 (ex-showroom Delhi) while the range-topping Micra XV CVT variant is now available at Rs 673,500 (ex-showroom Delhi). The Japanese carmaker had launched the Micra in India in July 2010, but it could not manage to stir the premium hatchback segment as the company had originally hoped to do.

Since its launch, Nissan has only managed to sell 72,533 units of the car in the domestic market till May 2016. Out of this, the petrol variant has seen more demand with sales of 40,667 units against 31,866 units of diesel models sold. In contrast, the India-made export model of the Micra has been a big volume driver for the company with around 75,000 units shipped in 2015-16 alone.

 The Micra also holds the title of being the country’s most exported and is shipped to more than 80 countries across the globe. The CVT-equipped variant of the Micra was first launched in India in 2013, which was then followed by a limited edition X-shift variant in 2015. Making the price cut announcement, Arun Malhotra, managing director-Nissan Motor India said, “As Micra is produced right here in India, we are able to better serve the market in terms of faster, more efficient delivery and improved localisation levels. This allows us to pass on these benefits to our customers in the form of a revised, even more competitive price for our popular premium hatchback.”

The Micra competes against the likes of Swift, Baleno, Elite i20 and the Volkswagen Polo in the domestic market and it would be interesting to see if the aggressive pricing strategy could provide some buffer to the otherwise lacklustre sales for the model.