Team-BHP - Nissan's Duster-based SUV, the Terrano: Full Pics are out!
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Here are some 3D mockups of the Nissan Duster that have cropped up online-
Have a read of the story and origins of these images at the link given below
Source- http://indianautosblog.com/2013/02/a...ate-2013-62643

Beautiful looking!! If launched at a price lesser than Duster, we know what would happen! :D

Bring it ON Nissan - Just set new standards for the competition & customers! clap:

Quote:

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious (Post 3034689)
Beautiful looking!! If launched at a price lesser than Duster, we know what would happen! :D

Bring it ON Nissan - Just set new standards for the competition & customers! clap:

If you look closely, the AC vents are different. I think they are doing an all new dashboard for their version.

Heres a closeup of the Dash that i managed to somehow manage using zooming tools-

This, if true, will kill the duster even if launched at the same price and has the potential to give Eco sport sleepless nights

Quote:

Originally Posted by nik_kapur (Post 3034833)
If you look closely, the AC vents are different. I think they are doing an all new dashboard for their version.

I remember reading the interview details (from Nissan MD) on Nissan's version of Duster. He had clearly mentioned that the changes will be substantial, especially exteriors! This clearly points in that direction. I really hope they do NOT bring those greige interiors from Sunny / Micra.

Edit:: Hello Nissan, is there a way you could mount that spare tyre on the tail gate?? Please...

Quote:

Originally Posted by thoma (Post 3026876)
I had been to the local Nissan dealership for enquiring about the booking status for a Micra. The finance adviser there is so sure about a March last / April first launch of the Nissan Duster. Yes, he said it is to be named the Duster! But guys, I'm taking this with a pinch of salt.

I'll return back to this thread once I get to know more on this. Couldn't catch up with my friendly sales adviser this time. Anybody got other information?

Now I know why I drank so much water. You are guessing it right, it was the salt. It had to be a truck load, not a pinch! The same finance guy is now telling of a 3-4 month gap before the launch. The only thing he is damn sure of is the name Duster!! And my friendly sales adviser too confirmed of this.

OT:

I don't know how much salt I have to take this time, but the sales adviser confirms of a stripped down Micra, both petrol and diesel, targeted at the first time car owner. This is to compete the Beat, Figo, Ritz. I guess, Nissan's recent reveling of strategies are in similar lines.

Quote:

Originally Posted by thoma (Post 3035906)
The only thing he is damn sure of is the name Duster!! And my friendly sales adviser too confirmed of this.

Thats the only thing I'm sure won't happen! :)

AFAIK, it is not allowed for one manufacturer to use a brand name that is registered with another. Renault already owns the rights to the 'Duster' brand name and in India, Renault and Nissan are separate entities just like any two car manufacturers.

Quote:

I don't know how much salt I have to take this time, but the sales adviser confirms of a stripped down Micra, both petrol and diesel, targeted at the first time car owner. This is to compete the Beat, Figo, Ritz. I guess, Nissan's recent reveling of strategies are in similar lines.
This news has been going around for a while though not sure if it would fully materialize anytime soon. Apparently, this is part of their roadmap to make Micra and Sunny as the relatively stripped down lower trims while Pulse and Scala would cater to the fully loaded variants to overcome the issue of product differentiation between the siblings.

Of course, it is easier said than done since the volume driver in India is always the middle variant. It remains to be seen where and how that gets positioned irrespective of who gets the stripped down base or the fully loaded top end.

Seeing the pics of Nissan's version of the SUV, they could actually make it the premium option instead of Duster by rectifying all the cost cutting done on Duster and pricing it slightly higher.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zenren (Post 3036043)
Seeing the pics of Nissan's version of the SUV, they could actually make it the premium option instead of Duster by rectifying all the cost cutting done on Duster and pricing it slightly higher.

This makes more plausible. But the logic of a better Nissan Duster at lower price does not make sense at all. If they can pull it off, then Duster product proposition falls apart.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampere (Post 3036045)
This makes more plausible. But the logic of a better Nissan Duster at lower price does not make sense at all. If they can pull it off, then Duster product proposition falls apart.

I meant a better Nissan 'Duster' at a higher price. If Renault wants to carve themselves out as the 'relatively' premium brand, it would definitely result in lower volumes than Nissan versions for all their vehicles models.

This would inturn hinder their dealership network and A.S.S expansion plans too since volume means a lot to the bottomline in that area. We are not looking at segments where 'margins per unit' can keep the shop running. They should have atleast a couple of medium-high volume models in their lineup to ensure they can run their service networks without loss.

Duster is a model that went through every possible cost cutting measure already. Not sure what more Nissan can manage on top of it to price it even lower. If Renault version is the more VFM proposition, they could focus on actually sustaining the momentum that they already got instead of trying to pitch in how Renault is a better VFM once Nissan launches their version.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zenren (Post 3036052)
Duster is a model that went through every possible cost cutting measure already. Not sure what more Nissan can manage on top of it to price it even lower. If Renault version is the more VFM proposition, they could focus on actually sustaining the momentum that they already got instead of trying to pitch in how Renault is a better VFM once Nissan launches their version.

+1
Thats exactly even what I am alluding to. Nissan has made a statement that Nissan Duster will have sheer metal changes also. With such improvements I cannot think they can price it below Renault Duster. It has to be priced higher.

I was just saying that if Nissan is able to price their Duster lower than Renault Duster with these improvements, then Renault Duster as a product does not make sense. It then does not bring any USP to the table. So logically Renault-Nissan cannot take such a step.

Unable to understand the drift in this thread, Nissan Duster taking on Renault Duster, One Duster losing out to another....The alliance details of which are available in the link below and much more in the web and the kind of cross-holding of shares by
these 2 companies in one another would indicate the kind of brand competition envisaged may not be the likely scenario and
that too in a ultra competitive Indian automobile market. Who knows, it's a funny world :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault-Nissan_Alliance

Quote:

Originally Posted by zenren (Post 3036052)
Duster is a model that went through every possible cost cutting measure already. Not sure what more Nissan can manage on top of it to price it even lower.

Sure, the Duster has gone through cost-cutting measures, but I doubt if the current prices are "as low as possible" for the Renault Duster in India. A cursory check of the UK prices for top-end 4x2 Dacia Duster diesel shows that it is available for the equivalent of about Rs.11.4L (12,995 pounds) with ABS/EBD, 2 airbags, alloy wheels etc. That's a good 2L cheaper than the India price for the RxZ- for a car made in India and exported to UK. So "premium-ness" of the Renault brand is already facotred in the Duster's pricing in India.

I think dropping the price by 40-50K is not going to be a problem for Nissan.

Quote:

Originally Posted by StarrySky (Post 3036086)
I think dropping the price by 40-50K is not going to be a problem for Nissan.

I agree with that. Duster indeed is a capable car, but I feel it is a bit overpriced for what it offers. Probably the current pricing strategy has already considered the buffer /space for a Nissan branded model.

Quote:

Originally Posted by StarrySky (Post 3036086)
Sure, the Duster has gone through cost-cutting measures, but I doubt if the current prices are "as low as possible" for the Renault Duster in India. A cursory check of the UK prices for top-end 4x2 Dacia Duster diesel shows that it is available for the equivalent of about Rs.11.4L (12,995 pounds) with ABS/EBD, 2 airbags, alloy wheels etc. That's a good 2L cheaper than the India price for the RxZ- for a car made in India and exported to UK. So "premium-ness" of the Renault brand is already facotred in the Duster's pricing in India.

I think dropping the price by 40-50K is not going to be a problem for Nissan.

Good point.

But several people fail to notice this:

The top-end 4x2 Dacia Duster costs 12,995 Pounds which is about Rs. 11.4 lakhs in India. This is their 'ex-showroom' price so to speak.(?)

The top-end Duster 110 RxZ (o) costs 11,8 lakhs ex-showroom and the top end RxZ Duster 85 is 10,48. These are prices as of October 2012. It's been 3 months and a few days since, and the price has shot up by around 40k-50k I think. So in an outright price-tag comparison, it is marginally more expensive in India, on the showroom floor.

Why am I talking only ex-showroom prices?

Well, it's a different story trying to tax, register and insure your car in the UK. From what I've understood, it's not that simple and quite expensive. The tax depends on how much you drive and you're taxed quite frequently as opposed to the one-time payment for it here in India.

The insurance is another issue. Not only will the owner's driving history be assessed, the car will be scrutinized and insurance is levied accordingly. A flashy and 'fast' car will attract larger premiums and younger drivers will have to shell out big money. While your Duster can be taxed, registered and insured for around 1.5-3 lakhs here in India (depending on where you live), you might have to shell out close to half the price of the car itself in the UK, just on these formalities.

However, this is not the reason why I believe price-comparisons of the same car in different countries shouldn't be considered. The market dynamics are by and large different. So I'd swallow the price-difference with a pinch of salt. :)

EDIT: This doesn't take away the fact that the Duster is clearly overpriced. I've mentioned it before. It may be the cheapest way to go off-road in a new car, in Europe. But here in India, you've got other options if you're a hard-core off-road enthusiast. Options like the Safari, the Scorpio 4x4 (if it's still available) the Thar, etc.

Besides, the Duster presently doesn't cater to the off-road junta. It's a large hatch that's quite versatile. So you should ideally be paying mid-C segment sedan money for it, and not C+ money. @ 15 lakhs, it's ridiculous given that you get the XUV W6 for the same $$$. Find some more cash and you could get a Skoda that does pretty much the same thing it does! For what it offers in terms of fit-finish and equipment levels, the Duster is a good 2 lakhs more than it should be and I'm talking OTR prices now.

In the UK, it may not be considered very expensive given that the mainstream hatchbacks are Golfs and Clios and Focuses. But here in India, it's not the 'right' price. It's all about how the car is perceived. @ 13k pounds, it is good money for a new (not previously used) car like the Duster because there isn't much else other than perhaps some super-minis like the VW Polo that starts @ 10.5k and goes up to 20k! Here in India, you've got segment after segment (entry level hatchbacks like the Alto and the Santro, premium / large hatchbacks like the i20 and the Swift, entry level C segment sedans like the Sail sedan the Mahindra Verito and the Toyota Etios, mid-C segment sedans like the Vento / Rapid the Scala the Sunny the City etc, a smattering of home-bred SUVs like the Safari and Scorpio, entry-level and mid-range MUVs and 7-seaters like the the Bolero, the Innova, the Xylo, etc) before you get to the Duster. For a little more $$$, you could get the Storme, the XUV, the Yeti, etc. The choices unlike in the UK are VAST!

It's all about market dynamics. :)


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