Nissan India has only managed to send a few ripples in the market with the Micra. But India, as a market, is an ocean and you need to have some kind of presence in every segment. Nissan agrees with this and having ticked off the hatch segment, they are moving in to attack the sedan and MPV markets. The launch of the so called ‘Micra Based’ Sedan is to achieve this objective.
The reason we say it is Micra based is because it is built of the same ‘V’ (read Versatile) platform as the Micra. Testing began soon after the international unveiling in China. Spy shots started flooding the internet and IndianAutosBlog.com has been at the forefront of the action bringing its readers many sets of spy pics and even a video over the last one year.
The young Nissan Sunny team have many reasons to feel proud
Finally yesterday, Nissan decided to take the covers off the car and christened it ‘Sunny’. Before you jump to any conclusions, Nissan India has spoken to Bajaj about the brand and they are completely fine with them using the Sunny badge.
So let’s get on with the car.
A conservative front fascia; Display car color choices matched its personality
The V Platform is a successor to the B platform and it is 150 pounds lighter than the predecessor. It has a wheelbase of 102.4-inch wheelbase and a width of 66.7-inch. The reason why it is called the versatile platform is because it can house a hatchback, sedan as well as a compact/mini MPV.
The Maruti Suzuki Dzire now has some company
It is also versatile enough to accommodate customer requirements of all global markets whether RHD, LHD, diesel, petrol, Euro 3 to 6, and all worldwide crash test requirements including the US, EU and Japan.
The XV variant gets Alloys and fog lamps; Car appears long in this angle
On the design front, the front fascia of the Sunny has a very mature design. One wouldn’t consider it as trend setter or ‘the next leap in car design’, but there are no places you can find fault. It is a plain, honest, simple front. The back is where things start to become a bit dicey. Let’s just say, the Dzire has some company now.
The stereo and air con vents are not from Micra; Rest of the parts are carried over
The Sunny will be powered by a 1.5-liter HR15DE engine instead of a 1.6L for higher fuel efficiency. This same move was adopted by Ford India when they launched the Fiesta. The Sunny is already launched in China with the same engine. Over there, it generates 109 hp/148 Nm.
Oodles of leg space and rear Air con vents favor long distance customers
However, in China the Sunny is offered with a CVT gearbox. In India, it will be launched with a manual gearbox. We presume that it will be the same five-speed gearbox of the Micra. The front and rear suspensions are MacPherson struts and torsion beam respectively.
The rear design is a bit bulky and flabby; Shades of Teana present in the design
The interiors of the Sunny are also heavily inspired by the Micra. Keeping the music system aside, rest of the components such as the steering wheel, the Air-con controls, the design of the dashboard are lifted from the Micra.
V shaped grille denotes the platform? Looks will take time to grow on Indians
The highlight is that there were rear Air-con vents present both in the XV and XL variants. If they are standard across all variants then it would the first in its segment.
Excess use of beige? Can Indians still want more?
Nissan is not willing to share the exact date for the launch but the strategy is clear – the 1.5 petrol comes first followed by the diesel in early 2012.
Can the Sunny mimic the VW Vento's well directed script?
Apart from the price, the critical aspect for the Sunny’s success would be the dealerships. Nissan is relatively new in India and does not have many dealerships. For now they have only 40 sales outlets, but they will be expanded to 100 by the end of 2012.
The Sunny's alloy wheels blend perfectly with its flowing outfit
Nissan Sunny Image Gallery
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- Will it succeed?
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- The rear design is a bit bulky
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- Oodles of legspace and rear Aircon vents
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- The stereo and aircon vents are different than the Micra
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- The Maruti Suzuki Dzire now has some company
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- The Nissan Sunny Team
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- Hardly any changes from the US/China models. A true global sedan
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- The XV variant gets Alloys and Foglamps
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- Excess use of Beige?
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- And we name it ‘Sunny’
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- V shaped grille denotes the platform? Looks will take time to grow on Indians
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- The Sunny’s alloy wheels blend perfectly with its flowing outfit
What are your opinions on the Nissan Sunny?
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Nissan Sunny is only available in petrol .Please follow this link to learn more – http://indianautosblog.com/tag/nissan-sunny
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