[GTO]

They are serious, very serious. The Nissan Micra starts production in 2 months flat! After testing the waters with the X-Trail, Teana & 370Z, Nissan is now up for competition swimming in India. Next to Maruti-Suzukis lineup, the Micra will be the 2nd Japanese hatchback on sale for less than 5 lakh rupees. And believe me, the Japs know their small cars.

Click here to view the Nissan Micra Thread

Chennai, India – Renault-Nissan Alliance Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn today joined more than 1000 guests in Chennai, India, for the inauguration of the first dedicated Renault-Nissan Alliance vehicle manufacturing plant.

The inaugural ceremony was attended by the representatives of State Government of Tamil Nadu led by Dr. Kalaignar M Karunanidhi, the Hon. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in the presence of Dr. M K Stalin, the Hon. Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Also present were Mr. Yoshiro Mori, President, the Japan-India Association & Former Prime Minister of Japan and both the Ambassadors of Japan and France to India.

Representing an investment of 45 billion Rupees ($990 million) and with the capacity to produce 400,000 units per year at full ramp up, the new Chennai plant will initially employ 1,500 workers at start of production in May 2010. With a supplier park of six companies in Chennai, the company estimates a total of 6,000 jobs will be created in the region.

“Our plant in Chennai represents a key milestone for the Renault Nissan Alliance in India,” said Carlos Ghosn. “With the new Micra, we have the start of a product offensive in India that is supported by a localized manufacturing facility capable of making products for both Renault and Nissan.”

The first vehicle to be produced at the plant will be the new Nissan Micra, a global sub-compact. The Micra, production for which will commence in May 2010, is the also first vehicle derived from the new V-platform, is destined for the Indian market as well as for export to over 100 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In 2011, the plant will start production of the Renault Koleos and Fluence, both destined for the Indian market.

Chennai already plays host to the Renault-Nissan Technology and Business Centre India Private Ltd (RNTBCI) which is contributing to both partners’ global operations in the key areas of advanced research and development, advanced CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering), product development, digital vehicle development, information systems development and local and global parts sourcing.

[aman9393]

Good to see that the production will start within 2 months.
GTO any idea when the deliveries will start?

[Pedal2Metal]

I drove the previous generation Micra for over 2 years in the UK (not that I am proud of it). This is quite a capable car. I'll tell you that.

[vinaydas]

really good to know the level of commitment shown by Nissan towards the indian market.

Now Step 2) increase dealerships!!

[Abes]

Was GTO or any one from Team-BHP present at the inauguration ceremony? Any reviews/road test coming up?

Indian Auto Blog has posted the pictures of the Mirca from the plant. I just posted it on another thread.

[kraft.wagen]

This is a very good move by Nissan.
Any idea on how much localization Micra is going have?
(hope its not covered in the Unvieled thread, yet to read it or forgot :( )

[Anthym]

An article in WSJ today says "Nissan will begin production of its Micra small car at the new plant from May, with sales slated to commence July"

Full story here: Renault Says Won't End Alliance With Mahindra - WSJ.com

[Latheesh]

Are you sure they already invested the whole $1 billion in Chennai plant. If so it is a massive facility for sure. Any one have pic of their plant? or is it just the micra assembly set up to start with? Does this $1 billion investment include those vendor park too?

If they were planning to launch micra so soon they should have started some kind of brand awareness program some time back, similar to what VW done. I do not think many people in India are aware of the brand "NISSAN". Only thing they did in the near past was launching 370Z. If they want to market some car like Micra this is not sufficient.

How about dealerships? Planned rollout is scheduled in May this year and how many new dealership are they planning?. This part is well done recently by Ford by launching close to 30 dealership in a single day.

How about target price? With the recent launch of BEAT, FIGO and POLO hatch market is already a mess. What is the percentage of local components they are starting with as this play key role in pricing?

NISSAN needs to be carefull about the positioning of Micra, there is no chance for error here. If they want to sell this they need to offer all good features of cars like Polo, Figo, i20, Punto, Beat and Vista in micra including safety features and price it equal or just below i20.

I love NISSAN, have travelled extensively in their Murano, Maxima and Altima. Fell in love with my neighbour's red 350Z at first sight!!. and their infiniti range of vehicles G and X series are awesome. Did I miss GTR ?

[Mr_Bean]

This car looks cute, Are they planning to export vehicle from this plant?

[rajivn]

Great. Yet another small car to choose for the buyers. As GTO says coming from a Japanese carmaker, this car should have thing or two up its sleeve.

Doesnt it look like an A-star competitor? I read somewhere that the Petrol is a 3-pot engine. Will a Jap 3-pot be better than a German 3-pot ?

Surprised that they dint even put a wheel cap to that inaugral vehicle let alone a good looking alloy.

[SunilM]

moneycontrol.com reports that this car may be priced at 4Lac Rs. That is a very good price point!

Production of the first low-cost car Micra at the Renault-Nissan plant is likely to begin from May 2010, he said. Micra will be priced at Rs 4 lakh. Renault-Nissan alliance will start selling Micra hatchbacks from July and aims sales of 80,000 units in the financial year ending March 2011, an official said. According to plans, Micra will be exported to Europe, Africa, Middle East from Chennai. In India, the company aims to to achieve 1 lakh units sales by 2012.

Nissan is looking at manufacturing a second low cost car between Rs 2 and 4 lakh. Speaking at a conference in Chennai, Ghosn said the company wants to develop another small car in India for which it does not rule out partnering with Bajaj Auto. Ghosn clarified that Renault's major thrust will remain in the base affordable car segment.

Details and interview with Ghosn here..

Renault's Carlos Ghosn: Indian car mkt to multiply 3 times - CNBC-TV18 -


Mods: Can we merge the two threads?

[rr_zen]

Another Japanese car to make its foray into India to add to the existing competition. Good for us, the car buyers. The pricing seems to be attractive too.

I have driven the Nissan Maxima extensively during my stint in the US and must say it is a very reliable car.

[harishnair]

If the starting price is 4Lacs then it does seem to be a good buy. But for the vehicle to succeed, Nissan will have expand the no. of dealerships and more importantly their service network.

[cLJ]

Japanese car makers are increasing their presence here. I like their new maxima. Stylish and good looking. Little heavier than the old one too.

CLJ

[vivekji05]

The Micra, if priced well can be a truly great automobile. Here are a few pics I clicked.