Nissan's Terrano to take on EcoSport, Duster

Nissan unveiled its compact sports utility vehicle Terrano in Mumbai on Tuesday, as the war for a slice of the only bright spot in the slowdown-hit Indian auto market is hotting up with multiple launches.

The Terrano, which shares engines with its alliance partner Renault's Duster, will come at a sub-₹ 10 lakh starting price. The company will begin accepting bookings in September, with delivery to commence in first week of October. Nissan said it would reveal details about the pricing close to the launch.

The sub-₹ 10 lakh utility vehicle segment has turned into a battle ground, where Renault Duster is fighting to retain its dominant position against Ford EcoSport.

The Duster, priced ₹ 7.99 lakh to ₹ 12.18 lakh, has sold around 60,000 units since its launch in July 2012.

Ford's EcoSport, launched in end June 2013, has already sold close to 9,000 units and bagged 30,000-plus bookings. The EcoSport is priced between ₹ 5.59 lakh and ₹ 9 lakh.

Kenichiro Yomura, president, Nissan India, said the company wants to focus on the premium part of the compact sports utility vehicle (SUV) segment.

'Terrano marks our entry into the compact SUV segment. We believe SUV segment will grow by 30% by 2016,' said Yomura, adding that Nissan will launch 10 models by 2016.