Nissan India moves SUVs front & centre with GT-R, 400Z out of picture now

Gajanan Kashikar Updated: July 20, 2024, 01:55 PM IST

Nissan has announced its plans to launch multiple cars, especially SUVs, in India in the coming years. This is a part of its strategy to introduce new offerings globally alongside the expansion of its presence. Sadly, the carmaker will not introduce its popular sports cars, the GT-R and 400Z, in the country.

The brand has laid out plans to introduce 30 vehicles across the globe, out of which 13 will come to the Middle East, India, Oceania, and other regions by the end of this decade. Nissan will specifically develop and manufacture three models for the Indian market and will export them to international markets. Apart from that, Oceania will get a new pickup and an all-electric crossover, while it will introduce two new SUVs along with a plan to expand in the B-segment in Africa.

For India, the X-Trail will be the first launch of the year, followed by SUVs with five- and seven-seat layout, and an affordable electric vehicle (EV). The latter two will be launched between 2025-26. As a part of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, Nissan had already revealed its plans to launch a compact SUV in a few months ago, which will rival the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Kia Seltos, Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun, Hyundai Creta, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Citroen C3 Aircross, and MG Astor. Whereas, the seven-seat version of the SUV will take on the Hyundai Alcazar, Kia Carens, Maruti Suzuki XL6, and Mahindra XUV700.

Not to mention, the on-sale Magnite is also set to receive a mid-life facelift in the coming months. In fact, the Magnite facelift was recently spotted at Global NCAP's test facility. So far, the carmaker has recorded a sales of 1 lakh units of the Magnite and exported over 30,000 units to 15 countries. In order to broaden its sales worldwide, Nissan will introduce a left-hand drive version of the Magnite to 25 countries.

The affordable EV will be an SUV with a possibility of borrowing the existing platform from the Magnite with some tweaks. This sub-four meter EV will compete against the Tata Punch EV, MG Comet, and Citroen C3. Apart from its plans to introduce new products, Nissan aims to expand its footprint in the country with new touchpoints. It plans to reach 300 dealership in two years. Currently, it has only 84 showrooms.

As mentioned at the beginning, Nissan has ruled out the possibility of introducing the famous GT-R and 400Z in India. Recently, the brand's North American subsidiary announced two final edition models for the market before they bid farewell to the iconic sports car. The Nissan GT-R has been in production for 17 years and will be phased out from the North America, the last market where it was on-sale, later this year.

With an emphasis on SUVs and an affordable EV, Nissan's strategy intends to capture a larger share of the growing Indian SUV market, while expanding its dealership network to reach more customers.

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