- Against a backdrop of rising
sales, international recognition for the quality of the locally built Micra and
the launch of an innovative and exciting new family car, Nissan is making its
mark in India -
DEHLI (5 January, 2012) -
Booming sales, a top award for Quality and an innovative new segment-busting
family vehicle to be built at Chennai… Nissan is making waves in India.
Appearing at the Delhi Auto
Expo for the first time, Nissan has chosen this significant event to launch a
brand new vehicle, built in India for India.
The Nissan Evalia, an
award-winning seven-seater family car, is the first Urban-Class Utility
Vehicle. Innovative and exciting, Evalia boasts best in class fuel economy, a
truly versatile interior with multi-use functionality and a host of
sophisticated features such as Rear View Camera and Intelligent Key.
When sales start later in the
year, Evalia will add a new dimension to Nissan's range in India, joining the
locally built Micra and Sunny models and the imported X-TRAIL SUV, exciting
370Z sports car and Teana premium sedan. Its arrival marks the start of not
only a new segment for the Indian market but also a new phase in Nissan's
presence in the country.
A comparative newcomer to
India, Nissan's sales have exploded over the past two years. From selling
around 13,000 units in FY2010, Nissan is aiming to almost triple that to around
40,000 in 2011.
The biggest seller in the
country so far is the Indian-built Micra, a little car that has established
‘Made in India’ as a byword for quality. The internationally respected JD Power
organization recently ranked Micra first in the premium compact segment for
customer satisfaction.
Nissan is also rapidly
building its dealer presence in the country. Currently there are 50 outlets
established, covering around 70% of the country, but that figure will more than
double by the end of next year, with 110 dealers giving 85% market coverage.
The target is for 150 outlets by 2015.
"Our progress in India
has been exceptional. An impressive rise in sales, award-winning quality from
locally-built products, and an expanding range of innovative cars from a
growing dealer network underlines the strategic importance of India to Nissan's
future growth plans," said Gilles Normand, Corporate Vice-President,
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.
"Indeed, such is the
global demand for products built here in India, that we have brought forward
plans to open a second production line at our state-of-the-art Oragadam plant
near Chennai. The second line will open in March, well ahead of schedule, which
will ultimately create an extra 1,500 jobs at the plant - further proof of our
commitment to the country."
As well as the full range of
Nissan models on sale in India, the company has taken the unusual step of
showing a number of products that aren't on sale here. But the idea behind
displaying the potent Nissan GT-R, multi-award winning zero-emission electric
Nissan LEAF and the one-off Compact Sports Concept (CSC) is to underline the
key elements of innovation and excitement that's infused into the DNA of every
Nissan car, light commercial and truck produced and sold globally.
CSC is an idea for the future,
a look at how a small sporting three hatchback might look. Even though it has
obvious links to the Nissan Micra, CSC is officially no more than a concept,
designed to engage with younger customers in emerging markets such as India.
Two cars most firmly in
production, though, are LEAF and GT-R. They might be complete opposites in
terms of performance and appeal but both carry equal amounts of the Nissan DNA.
GT-R has an advanced
four-wheel chassis, almost 500bhp from its twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 engine and
is the fastest production car around the famed Nurburgring race circuit in
Germany.
LEAF's performance figures are
equally as startling in their own way. The family sedan performs against the
clock as well as - and in some cases, better than - its conventional rivals,
but with a battery-powered electric engine under the bonnet, there are no tail
pipe emissions whatsoever.
"We want to show India
the depth of Nissan's global offering. Although neither LEAF nor GT-R is
currently available in the country, we feel the chance to see two of the most
remarkable cars on sale anywhere in the world is something visitors will not
want to miss," said Normand.
"As to whether LEAF
and/or GT-R will ever be sold in India all I can say is that we are constantly
evaluating and re-evaluating marketing plans. What I can confirm is that we are
committed to launching a growing range of innovative and exciting models in
India over the coming months and years - there is a lot more to come from
Nissan."
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