Nissan to Introduce Two More Small Cars in India

The success of Nissan Micra in the Indian market has definitely helped raise the spirits of the Japanese car maker. And now, Nissan is working up to bring on two more small cars in the Indian market. The first model, codenamed K2, will be built on a two-generation old Micra platform, but chances are good that it will get a new ‘top-hat’ or all-new body and interiors.

But the second car, entry-level hatchback (codename I2) that Nissan is developing with Indian partner Ashok Leyland, is the one that is likely to steal the show with its super affordable price tag. According to a major auto magazine, the 12 is being developed by Defiance Testing and Engineering, a US company that Ashok Leyland acquired in 2007.

Nissan is planning to price the car at around Rs 2.5 lakh. This might sound like an old cliché, but Nissan wants to compete with none other but the world’s No. 1 small car, Maruti Suzuki Alto. The Nissan 12 is expected to be launched in India in 2013. But the K2 will come sooner, but not earlier than December 2012. This car would compete with the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R and A-star. The Nissan K2 is expected to be priced around Rs 3.5 lakh.

Engine options for the two cars are likely to be the 1.2 litre three-cylinder petrol motor that we have seen in the Micra, although you can also pin your hopes on a highly fuel-efficient 1-litre engine. The Nissan K2 will come in two wheelbase options; the longer one would be for export markets.

Nissan has already achieved an important milestone with the success of the Micra; and the launch of these two vehicles would further strengthen the presence of the Japanese car maker in the Indian market. Since the launch of Micra in July 2010, the company has sold around 4500 units of the car.

Apart from Micra, Nissan sells X-Trail SUV, Teana luxury Sedan and 370Z sports car in the Indian market. All three models are brought as CBU (completely built units).