Renault, Nissan alliance to roll out 4 SUVs, 2 EVs with Indian market in focus

Renault-Nissan alliance is looking at going big on the SUV craze in India and announced on Monday that there will be six new models that would be on offer over the course of the next few years of which, four would be C-segment SUVs. Pointing to the success story of Magnite which was launched back in December of 2020, the alliance is specifically looking at targeting the C-segment with more enthusiasm.

Of the six models planned by the alliance, Nissan specifically will offer three models with two of these being SUVs. The alliance will invest around ₹5,300 crore for all the six vehicles that would be manufactured in Chennai, creating an additional 2,000 new jobs. Nissan COO Ashwani Gupta underlined that there is a clear potential for SUVs among buyers in what is now the world's third-largest market. “The success of the Magnite showed us the way forward. It helped us build customer trust and the performance has been very consistent. We see a big growth in A and C segments, these are missed opportunities that we would like to capitalise upon now," he said during a media interaction.

At present, Magnite is the only model of some note from Nissan in India and while models like Qashqai and Juke were showcased late last month, these are only being studied for India feasibility at present. Gupta said that while the focus is on the new models which would be manufactured at the alliance plant in Chennai and offered from 2025 onwards, CBU models would be brought in to sustain the momentum built by Magnite till then.

Interestingly, there would also be two new A-segment EVs that would be manufactured here but it is not clear if these would be offered to the Indian audience or would be meant for exports.