Nissan plans hatchback to launch India facility

[theMAG]

I expect this to be a SKD/CKD assembly operation - like Skoda's. I doubt anything will be manufactured here.

[CaliforniaKnight]

i somehow feel for the current times MICRA is a wrong launch, it feels a lotsmaller. they should have launched the TIIDA but then internationally its with 1.5 and 1.8 engines so it wont be practical to have it.
Qashqai instead of the murano might also help.

[devarshi84]

Nissan sold 330 Teana's in India in 2007. How many Camry's were sold in comaprison?

X-trail sold about 176 units. How many CR-V's were sold in comparo?

any one have honda and toyota numbers?

If they are comparable, I dont see Nissan doing anything wrong. they are making huge profits doing what Honda and toyota do. CR-V is in no case worth 20+ lacs.

[vid6639]

Most of the Teana's went to hotels like the leela palace here. Those were bought under the EPCG scheme i think.

Honda sells around 300 CR-V's a month. Their competition this month has been the Captiva which sold around 320 units this month.

[abhinav.gupta88]

Teana is definitely a good car. Just needs more luxury.
When i went to banglore saw quite a lot of them at leela hotel. Near the lobby area

[iraghava]

Cr-V volumes are around 3000-3500+ units per year. The X-Trail is nowhere close to those figures. And most of the buyers for the CR-V are private customers unlike the Teana/X-Trail which are bought in a high percentage of cases by hotels/companies under the EPCG scheme like the Camry.

Originally Posted by abhinav.gupta88

Teana is definitely a good car. Just needs more luxury.
When i went to banglore saw quite a lot of them at leela hotel. Near the lobby area

Yes, that's because Leela Group buys them under EPCG for all their properties.

[arunmur]

I guess by 2010 hatches like Tiida will be in trend, if it is sold with a diesel, it will make a good car for Indian market.

I guess Micara, is just like touching waters. I don't how common public will accept a company like Nissan, they are definitely not know as cheap car makers.

[amtak]

Originally Posted by arunmur

I guess by 2010 hatches like Tiida will be in trend, if it is sold with a diesel, it will make a good car for Indian market.

I guess Micara, is just like touching waters. I don't how common public will accept a company like Nissan, they are definitely not know as cheap car makers.

I somehow find it like the VW Beetle. If priced decently, I would buy one. Just that I don't want anyone to comment that it looks like London Taxi!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by abhinav.gupta88

Teana is definitely a good car. Just needs more luxury.

Huh? The Teana has oodles of luxury...in fact, more so than the Accord and the Camry. The rear bench and interior design are amongst the best in the 20 - 25 lakh segment.

What it needs is a 5 speed auto, as well as better service support.

[StarScream]

The latest from Nissan today confirming 8 models in India by 2012:

By 2012, Nissan expects to sell more than 100,000 vehicles in India. The growth will come from an aggressive product offensive ranging from entry-level cars, sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs and family utility vehicles to light commercial vehicles. In addition to the current X-TRAIL and Teana, Nissan will launch eight new models by 2012, four of which will be locally manufactured. The next product to be introduced to India will be the popular Murano crossover, scheduled for launch in 2009.

[StarScream]

That was the operative bit from this release in Tokyo today:

NISSAN APPOINTS HOVER AS MARKETING, SALES,
SERVICE AND DEALER DEVELOPMENT PARTNER FOR INDIA

55 dealers countrywide by 2012 to reach 80 percent market coverage

TOKYO (May 9, 2008) – Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (NML), today announced the appointment of Hover Automotive India Private Ltd. (Hover) as its service partner for marketing, sales, after-sales service and dealer development in India, effective May 8, 2008. Under the service provision agreement, Hover will undertake the implementation of Nissan’s marketing and sales strategy, and support dealer development in India, with the aim of establishing 55 dealers by 2012.

"India is a strategic market for the future of Nissan. Not only is there tremendous potential, but Nissan is well positioned to play a key role by delivering attractive, affordable vehicles to Indian consumers," said Carlos Tavares, executive vice president, NML. "Hover is a strategic partner that offers the necessary sales, marketing and dealer development expertise to ensure our success in India."

Hover will focus on delivering value-added services to customers throughout the vehicle ownership lifecycle. "As always, we will build our brand on a foundation of trust, quality and service," added Tavares.
Hover’s activities will complement those of Nissan Motor India Private Ltd. (NMIPL), which will continue to undertake overall business management in India, including corporate planning, product planning and distribution.

“We are excited to have the opportunity be a part of Nissan’s business in India,” said Moez Mangalji, chairman of Hover. “We hope to deliver on Nissan’s brand promise by harnessing our local knowledge of the Indian customer, and combining the best of Hover’s marketing and dealer development expertise with the Nissan Sales and Service Way to meet the high customer expectations.”

Growing Nissan’s distribution footprint from the current five to 55 dealers will extend Nissan’s presence to all major cities to achieve at least 80 percent market coverage. Each Nissan dealership will comply with the global Nissan brand and retail standards in terms of design and customer service.

By 2012, Nissan expects to sell more than 100,000 vehicles in India. The growth will come from an aggressive product offensive ranging from entry-level cars, sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs and family utility vehicles to light commercial vehicles. In addition to the current X-TRAIL and Teana, Nissan will launch eight new models by 2012, four of which will be locally manufactured. The next product to be introduced to India will be the popular Murano crossover, scheduled for launch in 2009.

About Hover:
Hover is affiliated with The Westmont Group, a global consortium consisting of a diverse portfolio in hotels, real estate, customer service, brand management and marketing. The Westmont Group employs more than 40,000 people in Asia, Europe, Mexico, Canada and the United States. Hover’s board of directors has a proven track record of aligning with world-class brands to deliver unmatched speed to market and uncompromised customer service.

Founder and chairman of Hover, Moez Mangalji from The Westmont Group, is joined on the board of directors by partners GM Singh and Kevin Whalen.

Singh is a successful Mumbai-based businessman who founded the GMS Group. His companies range from automotive retail and car rental franchises to power generation and real estate development across India.
Whalen is regarded as one of the elite dealer development entrepreneurs in the United States and the automotive retail industry. He was a founding member of a Fortune 500 publicly traded automotive retail consolidator.

About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.:
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. generated global net revenues of 10.468 trillion yen in 2006. Nissan is present in all major global auto markets selling a comprehensive range of cars, pickup trucks, SUVs and light commercial vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. Nissan employs 224,000 people worldwide

[karanraheja]

We should get the Next Gen Micra (codename x02a) . I found some useful info

The next-generation 0f Nissan March/Micra will come to thailand in September 2009 for Asean-Oceania export hub — AUTOinCAR