micra

Analyzed – Nissan Micra tops 6 million units globally

by Paul Joseph June 24, 2011 Featured

The Nissan Micra is a sales success for the Japanese company which was questioned for shifting the production site and making markedly different design changed during its introduction last year in March as the Nissan March in Thailand. Nissan has been making the Micra/March ever since 1982 in convertible, sedan and hatchback forms. The latest model was introduced in India last year with a 3cyl petrol engine followed by the highly fuel efficient, no-turbo lag 1.5-liter diesel variant which we felt was the best city hatch in India for someone starting a family. Nissan announced that by the end of May 2011, it had made 6 million units of the fourth generation Micra (codenamed K13) globally. The Micra is produced in India, Thailand, China and Mexico and sold in over 70 countries. An eye-catching city hatch, it is a worthy upgrade to cars like the Chevrolet Beat and Suzuki A-Star (Alto) globally but sales hasn’t been very impressive in India. Nissan will hope to build a stronger dealer network and roll out more marketing initiatives to catch up with the competition. Nissan has been testing the Micra in Brazil and America. During the media presentation in Chennai last year, one Japanese official told IAB that if the Nissan was to be ever sell it in USA it needed better rear seats, bigger tires and a bigger petrol engine. An automatic transmission is another must. Nissan has introduced the sedan (Sunny) in America and there is talk that it could complement the hatch to the line-up. DNA of the Micra 1) Easy to drive and park 2) Reliability 3) User Friendliness Target customer of Micra Young, urban, eco friendly and values social affirmation The new Micra will be on sale in another 90 markets bringing the grand total to 160. The time frame for the global expansion is not clear but by the end of 2013, this must be achieved. Old Micra vs New Micra Tsuyoshi Kobayashi, the Micra/March’s chief vehicle engineer – Six million units sold tell us the Micra/March has a track record of success. With over 28 years’ experience producing compact cars, we want our customers to enjoy the maximum value of the new Nissan Micra/March together with its new technologies. With the newly-developed V-platform shared between two new models being produced, reduced vehicle weight and new aerodynamics have contributed to fuel economy performance that is among the best in its class Nissan will also bring out the third model from the V-Platform, a compact MPV (code – J02C) that will replace the Note overseas. Measuring a touch over 4m long with tight overhangs, this model can be manufactured in Chennai in the next two years the probability of being launched here is low. The spacious NV200 is a more practical choice to make the right impression to the Innova customer with the 1.5-liter diesel engine. The V-Platform MPV is anticipated to be more stylish than the NV200 but with less interior space.

Tagged as: america, china, dna, mexico, micra, new nissan micra/march, nissan-march, nissan-micra, usa

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Nissan produces 1 lakh Micras in India

by Paul Joseph June 16, 2011 Featured

Nissan has rolled out the 100,000th Micra from the Renault Nissan Alliance plant in Oragadam near Chennai. The milestone has been reached in just over a year. Nissan India exports Micra to European countries. Ultimately the Made In India Micra will be shipped to over 100 countries including Africa and Middle East. Nissan manufactures RHD and LHD variants in diesel, “Pure Drive” petrol and petrol avatars. Nissan has not been able to match its contemporary Volkswagen but will hope things will fall in place with the introduction of the V-Platform sedan this year and the NV200 MPV in 2012. It has sold about 15k Micras in India. Press Release NISSAN PRODUCES 100,000th MICRA IN INDIA – Manufacturing milestone reached in one year – CHENNAI, 16 June 2011 – Employees at the Renault Nissan Alliance plant in Chennai, India are celebrating today after producing their 100,000th Micra in just over a year. The first Micra compact hatchback rolled off the production line in May 2010. Since then the workforce has expanded to nearly 4,000 (from an original 1,500) to meet demand from within India and across the world. The 45-billion Rupee (990 Mn USD) facility is the first dedicated Renault-Nissan Alliance vehicle manufacturing plant, and the 4th generation of the iconic Micra is the first model to be produced there. It will be joined later this year by an all-new global sedan, and in 2012 a commercial vehicle will be added to the line-up as part of a joint venture with Ashok Leyland Ltd. Since its launch in India last July the Nissan Micra has driven a sales boost within the market, with over 15,000 units sold to date. The innovative Micra is also produced at plants in Thailand, Mexico and China. Chennai, which will have an overall plant capacity of 400,000 units at full ramp up, will ultimately supply Micra to over 100 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. To date nearly 70,000 units have been shipped from the nearby Ennore deep water port. Gilles Normand, Nissan Corporate Vice President for Africa, the Middle East and India, commented: “I would like to congratulate everyone associated with the Chennai plant on reaching what will be the first of many production milestones. “The plant, which provides us with a skilled and localised production base, is a key part of our strategy for profitable and sustainable growth within India, and Micra’s success is only the first step in realising our potential within this market. “Chennai is also crucial in terms of manufacturing high-volume, high-quality products for export to many world markets. With the continued strong support of the Tamil Nadu government, I hope that the facility will develop into one of Nissan’s most important production hubs.” In addition to Micra, Nissan also sells the X-TRAIL lifestyle SUV, Teana sedan and 370Z sports car in India. By 2013, Nissan is aiming to have 85% coverage of the Indian market by expanding the number of dealers from 35 to over 100. Managing Director and CEO of the Chennai Plant, Kou Kimura, added: “I am very proud of the effort that our Chennai staff, supported by our suppliers, have made to produce 100,000 Micras in such a short period of time. “Today’s announcement not only reflects Micra’s popularity – both domestically and within export markets – but also Nissan’s long-term commitment to India.”

Tagged as: africa, director, indian, manufacturing, micra, middle-east, nissan-micra, president, press-release

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Micra sales recover as Nissan prepares sedan, MPV

by Paul Joseph June 1, 2011 Featured

Nissan Motor India Private Ltd (NMIPL) didn’t have a groundbreaking month but registered better numbers compared to April with 1,588 vehicles in May 2011. It is not fair to compare sales YoY as the company did not have the services of Micra and operated purely with two CBUs and hence only 56 units were delivered. The locally-manufactured Micra hatch has accelerated Nissan sales. The diesel variant launched in December has boosted sales considerably, but to penetrate the market deeper, Nissan needs a car under the Micra. The X-Trail, Teana and 370Z sports car put together clocked 22 units last month. Additional numbers will come for Nissan through two channels – launch of two new products ( V-Platform sedan and NV200 MPV ) over the next 6-12 months and increase in footfalls at dealerships that provides more visibility to the slow-selling CBUs. Sooner or later Nissan will assemble the CBUs at Oragadam and this should bring down prices, making them an alternative to a Honda, Skoda or a VW vehicle. Nissan began exports of the Micra last year. South Africa is the latest to join the list last month. Nissan has delivered 14,711 Micras in India since the launch in July 2010.

Tagged as: india, micra, nissan, nissan-micra, nissan-motor, nissan-sunny, south-africa

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Speculation – Nissan Sunny arrives in September for 6.8 lakh rupees

by Paul Joseph May 16, 2011 Featured

Sunny, Almera or something else, Nissan’ V-Platform sedan is eagerly awaited in India as people want to see if it adds anything new to that crowding segment. The Sunny could arrive during the end of September this year with 1.6-liter petrol and diesel motors. The interesting bit of information we’re going to speculate on is its price. Sources tell IAB a starting price of 6.8 lakh rupees (ex-showroom Delhi) is on the cards for the Honda City competitor. Preventing them from pricing it at a lower level is the Micra hatch. The idea is to limit the sedan from cannibalizing sales of the hatch as over 50% of Micra sales come from higher variants . The starting price will act as the bait. It will draw customers into showrooms who will find the top-end model with auto-folding mirrors, start-stop button, rear AC vents, beige interiors and climate control the more suitable buy. If not, the penultimate variant lacking some of these will be the best choice. Nissan might delay the introduction of the AT variant the fuel economy image is very important in the price-sensitive segment.

Tagged as: cards, micra, price

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Exclusive – Nissan Sunny testing [video]

by Paul Joseph May 10, 2011 Featured

You may argue that this is the fourth time we’re bringing the boring “On Test” Nissan Sunny to the front page. You may also say  that you are tired of reading about it as it is brought to light every other day on IAB. But have you seen video footage of the Sunny being testing in daylight? Gotcha! Chennai-based Rathnavel Kasiviswanathan caught the Nissan Sunny testing in Chennai. Rathnavel – With the alloy wheels, the car looks good. The dashboard is simple. It definitely is a good competitor to the likes of the Maruti Swift Dzire, Ford Fiesta Classic and Tata Indigo Manza. I noticed orange background lighting to the center console. The quality of car, like the dash is of high standard. The front-end has chrome lining and looks exactly like the Nissan Versa from North America. The tail light though camouflaged, looked awesome! Well-informed Rathnavel’s account gives an enthusiast perspective. Note that he hasn’t mentioned Honda City or Hyundai Verna in his text. He believes that the Sunny is more a Dzire- or Manza- category car. Nissan’ pricing strategy raised a few eyebrows. Being a newbie, it needs the Sunny to do well to gain encouragement and positive praise. New products from more reputed brands like Ford, Hyundai and Skoda will extinguish the Sunny’ chances if the pricing is not well thought out. We’ll say it again for the benefit of new readers – the Sunny will be manufactured locally this year at the Oragadam plant where the Micra is rolled out from. The 1.5-liter HR15DE engine with dual injectors from the Micra will be made available along with a new 1.6-liter four-cylinder petrol engine. In India the car will not carry “Sunny” nameplate. “ Almera ” is one possible name though we’re not sure what’s going on in the boardroom. There is a good level of imported content on the Micra-based Sunny and there could be a negative impact on production or start of production due to the aftermath of the Tsunami and earthquake in Japan. Japanese companies operating in India have deferred launch dates and slashed production citing component shortage . Will the Sunny suffer due to the situation in Japan?

Tagged as: japan, micra, north, oragadam, spy pictures, sunny

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Video – Take a walk around the Nissan Sunny

by Paul Joseph April 26, 2011 Featured

We all are aware that Nissan India is beefing up its operations for its next important launch – Nissan Sunny – a mid segment sedan to rival the SX4, City, Fiesta, Verna and the likes, based on the Micra platform. The testing phase has begun for the Sunny and as a result it has been spied numerous times the outskirts of Chennai. But the test mules were all covered in scanty camouflage so you may not have a clear picture of the sedan. Just for you, here is a small walk around the sedan so that you can have a detailed look. The equipment shown in the car will hopefully make it to the Indian version as well. Fingers-Crossed! Sure, the car has a ‘Versa’ badge but that is what it is called in the US. Clearly, it will not be called Versa over here because that would create confusion with the old Maruti-Suzuki Versa. Sources tell us that Almera is a name Nissan is toying with for India.

Tagged as: micra, sunny

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Nissan India to launch a new sedan and an MUV

by Paul Joseph April 14, 2011 Featured

Nissan,the Japanese auto major plans to  introduce two new vehicles in India by 2012. The Managing Director and CEO of Nissan Motor India,Kiminobu Tokuyama reported,”The sedan will be built on the same platform on which the Micra is built. It will be launched first in China. It will be manufactured in our Chennai plant for ….Click here to read complete post

Tagged as: auto news, chennai, managing, micra, nissan india, nissan-motor, read-complete

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Nissan hikes cost of Micra

by Paul Joseph April 12, 2011 Featured

Nissan Motor India Private Ltd (NMIPL),the car maker on Monday has announced a hike in its small car Micra due to the increasing input costs.The hike will be up to Rs.11,170.The prices of the petrol version of Micra ranges between Rs 4.06 lacs and Rs 4.36 lacs and similarly the Micra-Diesel car ranges between Rs ….Click here to read complete post

Tagged as: auto news, micra, nissan-micra

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Rendered – Mahindra Logan compact sedan

by Paul Joseph March 3, 2011 Featured

Mahindra is planning two versions of the Logan for 2011, we hear. One variant will be the existing car stripped off the diamond and the Renault badges and finished with Mahindra’s signature saw tooth grille. The second variant is what interests us – a sub 4-meter variant meant to fall under the category of small cars eligible for lower excise. This variant was spied by a popular auto magazine last year. Under the hood we will see the same 1.5-liter diesel engine. There could be a smaller petrol engine under development or Mahindra could think of sourcing the Micra’s 1.2-liter unit.

Tagged as: existing, logan, mahindra, mahindra logan, micra, renault, renderings

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Nissan sells 2030 Micras in February

by Paul Joseph March 2, 2011 Featured

Nissan’s good run with the Micra continued in February as the company clocked 2030, its personal best since the launch back in July 2010. The Micra was introduced with the 3-cylinder 1.2-liter petrol engine. In December, the 1.5-liter dCi diesel was released and it has done a world of good to its sales. During the launch, Nissan said that feasibility studies for the AT variant will also be conducted in India. Nissan will aim to increase dealer count. They can spread their wings only if they have presence in smaller towns and cities. Currently there are only 26 Nissan dealers in India. The company plans to bring the V-Platform sedan (Nissan Sunny in China) during the festive season of 2011 in both petrol and diesel guise in the competitive C-Segment that will see additions from Hyundai and Ford this year. Nissan is also said to be working on the two generation old Micra by giving it fresh skin and upgraded powertrain to find a place below the Micra in the next couple of years.

Tagged as: micra, nissan-micra

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