Nissan hasn’t had a great run in India. But, with more investment and focus on new products and exports in the coming years, the company believes it can achieve the much needed turn-around.
New SUVs
The product charge will be led by SUVs, and these will all be Nissan-branded. Proceedings will begin with the launch of a sub-four metre SUV in a couple of months.
This will be followed by a Kicks update. And then every year, Nissan will launch a brand-new SUV. These might include the Qashqai and the X-Trail, and the Patrol might also make its way to India via the CBU route.
Exports galore
The other focus area for Nissan will be exports. It had a great December for exports; in fact it was the best month it has had in five years. Plus, the production of the new sub-four metre SUV will happen exclusively in India.
This gives Nissan another huge opportunity for exports. It is already dispatching cars to 100 countries, and the new SUV is bound to find flavour in many of those markets.
Story so far
Nissan has been in India for nearly 15 years. It has already invested over 6000 crores here. And as things stand today, it sells less than 2000 cars a month domestically with nearly 270 touch points. And its play utilisation stands at an unimpressive 43 per cent, including exports.
