Nissan to launch automatic variant of Micra, Sunny soon

As part of its plans to have a 10per cent share in the domestic automobile market, Japanese auto giant Nissan today said it would introduce an automatic transmission variant of its flagship hatchback 'Micra' and mid-sedan 'Sunny' soon in India.

'For financial year 2013, we will introduce a CVT variant which is a very fuel efficient engine (for Micra)', company's Chief Operating Officer Toshiyuki Shiga told reporters here.

The new Continuously Variable Transmission engine is a global conventional product offering high fuel efficiency for its cars, a company official said.

'Very soon..Very soon', company's Corporate Vice President (Africa, Middle East and India), Toru Hasegawa said to a query on when they planned to introduce the new variants.

Launched in 2010, Micra is the flagship product for Nissan Motor India.

Nissan Motor India and French auto major Renault have jointly set up a ₹4,500 crore manufacturing unit at nearby Oragadam, with annual production capacity of 4 lakh vehicles.

Noting that Nissan has adopted a 'Global '88' strategy -meaning achieving eight per cent market share by 2016 and an eight per cent growth on consolidated operating profits, Shiga said the company expects to reach 10 per cent market share in India by 2016 from the present 1.6 per cent.

He said the company had already sold 12,000 units of CVT equipped models globally and intends to increase it to 20,000 units by 2016.

Besides launching the new products, the company would also follow its French partner to introduce a compact SUV in India.

Renault India launched its compact SUV Duster ahead of its joint venture partner Nissan in the domestic market.

To a query, he said ahead of the company's launch of 'Datsun' in India by 2014, the two new products would be rolled out.

He said the company plans to have 300 dealers by 2016.

Nissan Motor India MD and CEO Takayuki Ishida said they planned to sell over 50,000 units by Mar 2013 and add about 30 to 40 dealerships in India in the next fiscal.

Asked if Nissan has enough capacity at its Oragadam plant, he said the existing two assembly lines are undergoing three shift operations partially. 'We hope by next year both will be operating in three shifts', he said.