Nissan has unveiled the third vehicle on the V-Platform, the Note, that begins its journey around the world from Japan to occupy the space above the Micra. Currently revealed for the Japanese market, Nissan has confirmed that a cosmetically altered version of this car will be sold in Europe. It will be manufactured in the UK and distributed across the old continent.
In another development, our friends at Car News China have blogged that they are expecting the vehicle in 2013 for the Chinese markets.
The 5 seat mini-MPV could have been the perfect vehicle for India with its spacious cabin, generous boot and the 1.5-liter diesel engine. However Nissan introduced the Micra that sits in the B+ segment, with the Sunny sedan meshed with some of the Micra variants. In this case, there is certainly no room for a third compact. Nissan does not intend to manufacture this car at its Chennai Alliance plant, so the possibilities of it making it to India are completely ruled out.
We hear that Nissan developed this vehicle with inputs from subsidiaries all over the world. This includes the RNAIPL engineering division situated in Chennai, which has worked on the Micra and Sunny, the other two V-Platform derivatives. We can reveal that the Indian contribution to the Note (Project J02C) is also significant.
If you look closely at the interior, you will see AC vents, steering wheel, door trim, power window switches, release lever, hand brake, cup holders, front seats and the mirror are picked from the Micra's parts bag.
This mini MPV was previewed by the Nissan Invitation Concept at 2012 Geneva. For the Japanese Note, Nissan is introducing a supercharged 1.2L petrol engine strapped to high-end variants of the Micra. It is paired to a XTRONIC CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) and gets a start-stop system to reduce fuel consumption.
Taking note of the fuel trend in Europe, Nissan will not miss adding the 1.5-liter K9K to the options list when its lands the Note there next year.
[Source - CarNewsChina.com]
