[Djay]

It's a pity that Nissan seems to have messed up their strategy in India. I had the opportunity to drive the Nissan Sentra in the US. I loved the car with it's peppy performance and easy handling. Not sure whether it was a CVT. Definitely did not feel lethargic like many other CVTs I drove. Even the Versa felt like a very VFM product in it's class.

They already have some good products like the Micra and Sunny. Instead of focusing only on the premium segment they can improve their service network and bring more of their global bestsellers to India. The next-gen Micra sold globally looks absolutely stunning and I would surely buy it if it were introduced. In fact I was disappointed with the complete absence of a good premium automatic hatchback by Nissan in India.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by ashutoshb

Everything else is expected to remain the same.

Including the lousy sales . Nissan has guts to still sell the old Micra in India. Clearly, they are too lazy to actually get any work done.

Originally Posted by Djay

It's a pity that Nissan seems to have messed up their strategy in India. I had the opportunity to drive the Nissan Sentra in the US.

So agreed! Great cars, killed by an inept management. They first destroyed their reputation by outsourcing the entire sales & servicing network to Hover. Now, they are selling old cars that are largely irrelevant.

Nissan has an excellent line-up globally. Sadly, the Indian market isn't a priority for Japan....or the boys in Chennai . Nissan's Indian management should export themselves out of the country, just as they do so many cars each month. Someone should lock them up on the backseat of their spacious Sunny and ship the car out to Nepal or Africa.

Late bloomer Renault is doing a far better job. Just look at their aggression! I'm hearing they are now eager to find their third kill (after the Duster's earlier success and now the Kwid).

[i_see]

Originally Posted by GTO

Late bloomer Renault is doing a far better job. Just look at their aggression! I'm hearing they are now eager to find their third kill (after the Duster's earlier success and now the Kwid).

Slightly off topic, but Ford seemd to be very much impressed by Renault's success with Kwid, so much so that I have heard they are developing a Kwid competitor ( to be placed much below the Figo)
Heard it from a senior salesman at Ford ( with more than 15 yeras in the company). Infact when I was buying my Figo, his updates about sports edition were spot on, some even before they came on team-bhp.

[drnilswap]

Nissan launches 2017 Micra in India at Rs 5.99 lakh.
TOI Report:

Nissan Motor India on Friday launched an updated version of its compact hatchback Micra with price starting at Rs 5.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
The petrol variants are priced between Rs 5.99 lakh and Rs 6.95 lakh, while the diesel trims are tagged between Rs 6.62 lakh and Rs 7.23 lakh. http://m.timesofindia.com/auto/launc...w/58959177.cms

[i74js]

they should have considered a single engine lineup in petrol for their premium offering for better inventory management as well as upping the game with competition:

- 1.5 petrol CVT across Micra, Sunny & Duster

and on the similar lines, they should consider plonking CVT in their 1.5 K9K diesel mill; this is a sure formula for success as of now without making much of investment.

Cheers

[gopalnt]

Originally Posted by drnilswap

Nissan launches 2017 Micra in India at Rs 5.99 lakh.
TOI Report:

I am not sure if this would even make people to take another look at Micra. Rain-sensing wipers and Auto-headlamps can be part of a feature set not the only features. Who is going to take time to "appreciate" these when so much is happening in this segment?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Rain-sensing wipers and Auto-headlamps can be part of a feature set not the only features.

All of that is like this month's VW Polo facelift these days. Welcome extras, but nothing stunning.

It is not massive-poster stuff.

[deetjohn]

I think they can do better if the Automatic can be priced even lower. The ex-showroom price of 5.99 lakhs is high for a car so old and coming from a brand like Nissan to do the numbers. The depreciation for Nissan will be high now, and they need to pass it on to the customers.

Sort of like a Micra Active XL CVT. That will be great option to pick among the flurry of AMTs.

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Sort of like a Micra Active XL CVT. That will be great option to pick among the flurry of AMTs.

if its a second car being majorly single driven. Its the cheapest CVT available today I guess but has just 1 airbag.

Rest if you look at the XV which has most of the creature comforts its in the territory of Baleno Delta CVT and hence wouldn't interest anyone in our market. Anyways it isnt as if their cars are built like the VWs, so they definitely need to look at pricing it more competitively to offset the brand image and compel some sort of a second look atleast for the buyers.

However the Beetle-ish looks of the Micra kinda feels cute atleast to women I guess as my wife on a recent OLA trip(where we got a micra) pointed how nice it looked and asked me why can't we get this instead of Baleno/Jazz CVTs(the ones I am considering for my next) if it was cheaper & looked nicely different.

[PetrolRider]

Like all Nissan policies, Micra is also felt as a mistaken identity. They are neither B+ segment nor in B segment.

Though the built quality is not like VWs or Fiats, but quality wise definitely better than Maruti's. But no one put a 3 potter in a B+ segment car. Again regular B segment cars have only AMTs, I believe CVTs are the culprit for high price as there is no point to price a car so high that has so high level of localization..

Now that put it a place where few people would miss it for a engine, where others for price. All they had to do is to get new Micra with 1 ltr turbo engine and put it against Baleno or put AMT and price it against figo.

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by PetrolRider

Like all Nissan policies, Micra is also felt as a mistaken identity. They are neither B+ segment nor in B segment.

I dont see a problem there. Its somewhat in the segment of swift/grand i10. Before the onslaught of i20/Baleno/jazz that used to be the so-called-premium segment. So if swift can be available, this too can be IMO.

Originally Posted by PetrolRider

But no one put a 3 potter in a B+ segment car.

The premium VW does

Originally Posted by PetrolRider

Again regular B segment cars have only AMTs, I believe CVTs are the culprit for high price as there is no point to price a car so high that has so high level of localization..

When they got this I dont think AMTs were that common-place. Celerio initiated the dawn of AMTs if am not wrong? But yeah they should have updated(interiors) the car to make it look appealing compared to the AMT brigade.

Originally Posted by PetrolRider

Now that put it a place where few people would miss it for a engine, where others for price. All they had to do is to get new Micra with 1 ltr turbo engine and put it against Baleno or put AMT and price it against figo.

to that. They should get the new global Micra here with a turbo petrol, the diesel in 85PS tune(ala Duster) and pit it against the premium hatches. Its an awesome looker(the new global model) no doubt and has the potential to give Nissan the much required boost in Indian market

[PetrolRider]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

The premium VW does

I think the majority of premium VW that moves are mostly the TSI and TDI versions and not the regular 3 pot petrol, I can be wrong though.

Originally Posted by SoumenD

When they got this I dont think AMTs were that common-place. Celerio initiated the dawn of AMTs if am not wrong? But yeah they should have updated(interiors) the car to make it look appealing compared to the AMT brigade.

I agree, in fact when they have the CVT technology in-house, no point of going for a AMT. What I meant here, they loose it in price point. For regular car buyer, AMT would be very good if he gets it a lac cheaper.

Originally Posted by SoumenD

to that. They should get the new global Micra here with a turbo petrol, the diesel in 85PS tune(ala Duster) and pit it against the premium hatches. Its an awesome looker(the new global model) no doubt and has the potential to give Nissan the much required boost in Indian market

Here we are missing another aspect of Nissan, its famed service network. And that's why, I believe, they are taking the CBU routes, where they have maximum profit, lesser customers and easier to cater them through their limited service network.

Till then they can try to juice the existing car, with easy to go accessories, than going for substantial changes. If they wanted to compete in our market, they have many competitive products in their stables. There is a reason they become number 2 in Japan next to Toyota. I believe the Days / Note / Serena / Juke / X-Trail products can do wonder here.

[arjab]

The premium hatch buying Indian customer will not be kind to Nissan this time around. If Nissan thinks they can continue flogging the horse which has already reached pensionable age, and has also retired from several global markets, they are mightily mistaken.

The target customer for this segment, are the young professionals, with a young family, possibly doing very well at work and most importantly, well travelled across the world.
And in the course of those travels he / she would have seen the nice automobiles Nissan makes & sells in the global market, including the new Micra.

Does Nissan think that this particular buying class will fall for some auto - headlights, rain sensing wipers, stripey dashboard inserts and fork out their hard earned money to buy a model which is already past its sell - by date in the international market?

Yes, it is a known fact that introducing a model changeover is a hugely capital intensive affair but then Nissan in India has to decide: Where it wants to be in the domestic car market in the next five years?

Do they want to be a success or not? First they have to decide that. If yes, they have to launch the new Micra and if no, well then i guess, the answer is pretty cut and dried, they might as well shut shop, like what their recent Yank counterpart did, focus only on exports and just pull the plug on domestic sales. Lots of money saved and incalculable damage done to brand equity.

Why cannot they realise that a "new" car means a car which is NEW. NEW looks, NEW interiors , NEW features, NEW driving experience.

Look at what Nissan's alliance partner, Renault did.
They came up with a blockbuster styling with the new KWID and some really nice segment breaking interior contents and fitment which in one swoop redefined the "A"-segment, so much so that even Maruti is now apparently "copying" the KWID shape for its next generation ALTO.

If one takes a very objective view, apart from styling, packaging and suspension performance, the KWID is nothing revolutionary as far as mechanical aggregates go.
It's pretty standard stuff under the skin, in fact compared to the KWID the Suzuki triples are far more refined; but looks do count and for Renault it worked brilliantly.

Can Nissan, being the global powerhouse that it is, not have done it?
The New MICRA, with its new styling and driving dynamics, the rich interior appointments, (just read the positive reports the foreign media has to say about the new Micra), could have changed the Indian customer perceptions about NISSAN.

The new MICRA could have been complemented by the existing set of Micra engines, (exactly what Maruti has done for the Dzire and Baleno which are all equipped with SWIFT carryover powertrains), and topping the MICRA line-up a range extender. Garnish with some slick marketing and then see where sales end up.

In this respect look at Hyundai. Every one of their models has had, at the maximum, a six month lag, maybe even less, before they hit Indian shores. Are they not working in the market? Just look at their market share - second only to Maruti. And I would not call Hyundai's cheap at all!

Nissan's product planners seriously need to come out of their ivory towers and take the help of experienced professionals to "understand" the Indian customer psyche. Sitting and working on digital screens with some "customer clinic survey" farmed out to a third party market research firm will not work.

I admire my neighbourhood "kirana" store guy.

He is unread, power-point and Excel are alien to him but he knows the requirement of each and every household, his precious customers on the back of his hand. And he is intelligent. Keeps track of what is happening with his customers.
So much so that recently when my friend visited my place from U.S. and stayed with me for two weeks, I was amazed to find a packet of baby wet wipes as a complementary item from the "kirana-wallah" .
He later told me that he had seen my friend staying at my place and thought wet wipes were an inevitable necessity when you have a toddler around, hence he sent a packet to us!
Am sure you don't have to guess as to from where for the next few days my friend shopped for his kids' daily necessities!

Maybe Nissan needs to hire him. The toddler, (Micra), will like it.