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-   -   Nissan Kicks, Datsun GO & GO+ to get CVT option (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/212143-nissan-kicks-datsun-go-go-get-cvt-option.html)

According to a media report, Nissan is planning to introduce a continuously variable transmission (CVT) on the Kicks, Datsun GO and Datsun GO+.



At present, the Nissan Kicks is offered with a petrol and diesel engine option paired with a 5-speed manual and 6-speed manual gearbox respectively. The 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine produces 105 BHP @ 5,600 rpm and 142 Nm of torque @ 4,000 rpm and the 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder diesel unit puts out 108 BHP @ 3,850 rpm and 240 Nm @ 1,750 rpm.



The Datsun GO and GO+ use a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine that is offered with a 5-speed manual transmission only. This engine produces 67 BHP @ 5,000 rpm and 104 Nm @ 4,000 rpm.

Nissan hasn't revealed the exact timeline for the introduction of the CVT variants.

Source: Bhaskar

Link to Team-BHP News

In the age of AMT's this is a welcome move. If this is hit among buyers, hope Maruti, Hyundai, Tata and Mahindra shart replacing AMTs with CVTs

Given the increasing demand for Automatics, if they can undercut Baleno CVT and Amaze CVT by significant margin, they may have a run.

Although I see this as a dying lamp that glows bright, the direction is right, there is a good market scope for budget CVTs.

AMTs are actually far better when it comes to fuel efficiency. So I'm a bit surprised that Nissan went with CVT for the Datsun twins also. Would have made more sense to have a CVT in the Kicks which is a premium offering & offer an AMT in the Datsun which is squarely aimed at the budget & running cost conscious.

I have multiple close relatives with CVT cars who are frequently complaining about the mileage they get compared to same cars in manual versions. I wonder what a Go/Go+ owner would react if it gives low FE.

Hopefully then Nissan has managed a magical tuning of the CVT with high FE!

Agreed, My point was exactly aimed at that. Mahindra's XUV 3oo's Auto version is a whopping 15 Lakhs. At that price point I believe people will desire " Smoothness ", " Premiumness " and not much on losing a couple of kms in efficiency. And the same goes to all the cars which I had in my mind - Swift/ i10 / Nexon/ Xuv 300 !

Welcome move. Hope they do it for diesel as well. There isn't much option in diesel CVT other than Honda Amaze. Rest all like Nexon, Breeza, XUV etc are all AMTs. Even Renault has AMT for diesel and CVT for the petrol Duster which retails around 12 Lakhs on road Bangalore. Key will be pricing. I don't think they can undercut Nexon and Brezza but even then there is a space which they can seize.

Great move. I hope the triber and kwid will get the same treatment. I would prefer laggy refinement towards jerky performance anyday.

I politely disagree. Usually CVTs provide better FE compared to their manual siblings. I own a Honda Jazz CVT. It gives me better FE compared to its manual transmission models which my friends own. Though ultimately it comes to your driving style - CVTs by its nature don't like an aggressive driving style, and if you floor the pedal always like how you do it in a manual transmission car, it is going to provide a poor FE. A lot of RPM will just get wasted due to the rubberband effect. But drive it sedately and you will definitely get a far better FE.

I presume you are referring to the Kicks here in this point. The pricing they have already got wrong & it isn't selling.

Its not a car intending to compete with the Nexon or the Brezza. Nissan dreamt of competing in the segment that has Captur, Duster, Harrier, XUV500, Scorpio, Hector, Creta with this car.

Hope Nissan gives the CVT option from the base variant. Its always tough to pull back the sales of a flop car, but this is a move in the right direction. Pricing will be the key.

Regarding the Go & Go+, am happy Datsun is going the CVT way. People loved the Micra CVT.

CVT might give less mileage and be a bit costlier, but just for the sake of mileage & cost cutting we are losing good cars.
Lighter body, AMT, less power, all these are becoming a norm in the Indian market, just to increase the mileage and reduce the cost of a car.

Hat's off to Datsun, first they implemented the ESP and now CVT.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...o-get-esp.html

A hatchback with ESP, abs, airbag and CVT priced at around 6L on-road should be a real VFM!

Hope other manufacturers to follow this trend, instead of putting some stickers and name it a limited edition or a sports edition! lol:

That's all well and good but what about their marketing push (read non-existent)? Plus, we've seen that Nissan has faced the most number of dealer closures which means reduced network. They've released one new car and that's already bombed. Nothing new from Datsun since its introduction. So I'm not sure how this move might work out if they aren't even considered by potential customers.

Not going to comment on the kicks, but I think Datsun Go and Go+ CVTs are doomed to fail. Why?

+Price sensitive lower end market- running costs and initial costs. AMTs are INR 30,000-50,000 more than the manual variant. CVTs are much more expensive. Don't expect a premium less than INR 90,000. Also, running costs are going to be marginally higher
+That puny 1.0 l petrol mated with a power-sapping CVT is going to make it a S-L-O-W car
+Flop car, uncertain future of Nissan and their dealers

The Nissan CVT has failure stories very similar to the VW DSG. Though I believe that the company must have improved its record on the CVT failure, having a CVT to operate in Indian weather and poor driving conditions on cheaper / made to cost cars would bring more headache for the brand.

Either they should give long term warranty - 7 years / 100,000 km or do not experiment on entry level cars. The market is very price sensitive and may backfire on the company if the confidence level on transmission is missing.

For the GO and GO+, the CVT is definitely a welcome move. It will feel better than the jerky AMTs which are the norm in this segment. Though I doubt it will sell in good numbers. This is an extremely price sensitive segment and the CVT cost will be significantly higher than the manual counterpart. Buyers in this segment will not be too much concerned whether the transmission is a CVT or an AMT. That coupled with the fact that a CVT would be slightly less fuel efficient than the AMT also play a deterrent. Price will be the deciding factor.

I think it's a good move by Nissan although a lot late. Had CVT been introduced early on in these car's life cycle, it would have been perceived premium economy and not cheap.

Nissan CVTs had always been reliable and have proved it's worth over the time in India. These are same Micra 1.2 l engines mated with CVT although with lower 67 bhp. The mileage and ease that these offer are commendable. However, Nissan cannot afford to be aggressive with the price given the market now.

Hope, this should get some uptick for the manufacturer.