First up will be the Micra CVT which will come with the same petrol motor that powers the manual variant. The X-Tronic CVT gearbox will do duty instead of the five-speed manual transmission. The Micra CVT will compete with the likes of the Ritz automatic and Brio automatic. 

 

Next in line will be a version of the Sunny equipped with the X-Tronic CVT gearbox. Expect Nissan to price the Sunny CVT below the badge-engineered Scala CVT. When launched, it is likely to compete with the likes of clutchless versions of the Vento, Rapid, Verna and the City. 

 

The third offering from Nissan will be for the compact SUV segment. This will be Nissan’s spin on the Renault Duster. However, the new SUV (Codename: NH79) will be more than just a re-badged Duster and will have some significant sheet metal changes as well. As seen from the brand hierarchy, we can expect Nissan to price the NH87 below the Duster. It is expected to enter showrooms end of 2013. 

 

Nissan will bring the low-cost Datsun Brand to India later this year. Autocar India was the first to break the news about Datsun’s comeback in the June 2011 issue. For India, two Datsun hatchbacks are planned, both of which will slot below the Nissan Micra. The first model will be a Rs 4 lakh hatchback (code: K2) based on the two-generations old K11 Nissan Micra. Believed to incredibly spacious for its size, the K2 will feature an all-new ‘top hat’ and will come with a 1.0-litre petrol engine. A cheaper Rs 3 lakh model (code: I2) is also being developed to compete with the Maruti Alto.  

 

Nissan is looking to achieve 10 percent growth by 2016 in India. To achieve this target, the company also plans to increase its on-ground presence to 300 dealers from the current 95 in the country. 

 

Given that the current manufacturing facility of Renault Nissan Automotive India Pvt Ltd (RNAIPL) at Oragadam, Chennai, has an annual capacity of 400,000 cars and is shared by both Nissan Motor Company and Renault India, it is likely that the Japanese carmaker will either ramp up capacity at the existing facility or establish a new facility to meet its target by 2016.