It becomes a Renault Pulse!

The Japanese company has proven that’s not always the case today with the help of its performance division Nismo (like what AMG is to Mercedes). The Nissan Micra Nismo edition is a conceptual study for the Tokyo Auto Salon this year. The everyday Micra sports a full body kit, a redesigned bumper, a modified grille and new outside mirrors.

Interiors are not all-new with changes reserved to new sport seats and steering wheel. Performance additions include a lowered sport suspension, bigger wheels and a loud exhaust.

The highlight of this custom is Nismo’s signature colors pearl white highlighted by red accents that add visual flair to what otherwise would just be another car in the parking lot.

The Almera opens the door for Nissan to this important segment. To make customers feel safe, six airbags and ESP are part of the standard equipment. Nissan is taking safety seriously even in India where a passenger side airbag is a standard feature on its cheapest offering, the Micra. Surprisingly ABS brakes don’t find a place even on the top-end variant!

A 1.5-liter petrol engine is discussed in the article married to a CVT as a choice of powertrain, but the exact details will gain clarity only at the time of launch.

[Source - CarAdvice.com.au]

Changes are evident the moment you see interior shots. An ivory-effect dashboard and lighter seat trim is suitable for the Indian market as well. The equipment list is bolstered with additions as heated front seats, climate control, parking space measurement and reverse parking sensor. As an optional extra, Nissan offers Nissan Connect, the company’s integrated sat-nav system for 400 quid.

The Kuro and Shiro special editions are available on the 1.2-liter naturally aspirated engine, DIG-S supercharged engine paired with manual or the CVT automatic transmissions.

Nissan Micra Kuro, Shiro Special Editions Image Gallery

Ex-showroom prices for Delhi for the Sunny diesel

• Rs 7,98,000 (XL) (1.1 lakh over the XL petrol variant)
• Rs 8,78,000 (XV) (1.1 lakh over the XV petrol variant)

It is powered by a 1.5-liter 4cylinder K9K diesel engine, borrowed from the Micra but produces a much better 86PS @ 3,750 RPM and 200 Nm @ 2000 rpm (IAB was bang on with the specification in our scoop post!). The mileage stands at an impressive 21.64 kmpl (ARAI certified). It is impressively spec-ed too with the both diesel variants equipped with ABS brakes, EBD, Brake Assist besides the driver side Airbag.

Nissan has sold about 3,000 examples of the three petrol variants and it looks like their strong performance in India will continue with the launch of the diesel Sunny.

Press Release – NISSAN LAUNCHES SUNNY DIESEL IN INDIA

- The new variants offer one of the best in class fuel efficiency and power –

Mumbai/Chennai, December 12, 2011: Nissan Motor India Private Ltd. (NMIPL) today opened the booking for the diesel variant of its hugely successful mid-sized sedan, the Nissan Sunny, in India. Available in two variants, the XL and the XV, the Sunny Diesel offers one of the best in class fuel efficiency and targets the fast growing demand for diesel cars in the Indian market.

Built on the global ‘V’ platform, the Sunny Diesel is competitively priced and will be available for Rs 7,98,000 (XL) and Rs 8,78,000 (XV), ex-showroom, New Delhi. Customers can now book the car at any of the 47 Nissan dealerships across the country.

The Sunny Diesel, a result of significant inputs from the Indian market and powered by the most notable K9K diesel engine to emerge from the Renault-Nissan alliance, has a fuel efficiency of 21.64 kmpl (ARAI certified) and is ideal both for a city drive as well as for exploring the countryside.

Built at the Nissan plant in Chennai, the diesel variant is powered by a modern 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder K9K engine that churns out 86PS of power @ 3750 rpm and a maximum torque of 200 Nm @ 2000 rpm, and five speed manual transmission. It is the first time Sunny is offered anywhere in the world with a K9K Diesel engine.

Mr. Kiminobu Tokuyama, Managing Director & CEO, Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd, said, “We are delighted to introduce the diesel variant of Sunny for the Indian market. At a time when Indian market is witnessing an increase in demand for diesel cars, Sunny Diesel with Nissan technology of high performance and fuel economy will be the right choice for our valued customers in their search for the most suitable sedan.”

Mr. G M Singh, Vice Chairman & MD, Hover Automotive India, Nissan’s Marketing & Sales partner said, “Introduction of Sunny is another major milestone in Nissan’s efforts to grow fast in the Indian market which is growing at much faster pace compared to many other parts of the world now. The fact that we are able to clock over 3000 sales for the Petrol Sunny so far reinforces our belief that Indian customers prefer Nissan’s products which are filled with innovation and excitement.”

Aimed at India’s fast-growing group of young professionals, the Sunny Diesel mirrors the petrol variant’s sophisticated style and roomy interiors. It is the second model after the Micra hatchback to use Nissan’s pre-eminent ‘V’ platform that carries advanced engineering to deliver a modern, light weight structure, that provides integral strength, robust ride refinement and dynamic on-road behavior.

The Sunny Diesel carries high levels of active and passive safety features and technology designed to enhance both the driving and ownership experience. The new variant is available in six colors – Bronze Grey, Blade Silver, Storm White, Sapphire Blue, Onyx Black and Brick Red – and is equipped with advanced safety features such as Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Engine Immobilizer and Airbags.

Departing from the industry norm, Nissan has adopted a uniform pan-India pricing strategy, whereby the ex-showroom price of the Sunny Diesel will remain the same across all states. The only variations will be in terms of VAT, Entry Tax, Octroi and other local taxes levied by states/cities.

High on Style Quotient

The Sunny Diesel mirrors the petrol variant in style with sleek and dynamic proportions. Nissan’s signature grille dominates the front and is flanked by jewel-shaped headlights with discreet but elegant chrome touches. Wide opening doors offer better passenger ingress and egress while muscular haunches, stylish curves and a neat rear spoiler adds a sporty touch to the silhouette.

The diesel variant is 4425mm long with a 2600mm wheelbase that directly translates into roomy interiors. It offers rear-knee room that is on par with luxury sedans and gives passengers the opportunity to cross their legs in comfort. The large central armrest with cup holders adds a touch of luxury while the roomy 490 Liter trunk illuminated with a boot lamp provides loads of luggage space.

Independent front MacPherson struts with coil springs makes the ride smooth while the compact torsion beam rear axle further minimizes intrusion into the luggage area. Sub-frame mounted suspensions and anti-roll bars at both ends help reduce road noise and vibration. The long-travel suspension kits make the Sunny Diesel’s response much better to the most challenging of road surfaces.

Nissan Motor India Private Ltd, which launched the petrol variant of the Sunny last September, received wide appreciation from auto experts who viewed it as a best in class entry-level petrol sedan in India.

The Sunny has driven up volumes for Nissan, it registered a growth of 149% in last month compared to November last year. The Sunny’s rear leg room, features, boot space, thoughtful marketing campaign and attractive starting price have intrigued customers. The diesel model with fuel economy close to 20kpl can build on this encouraging start.

Nissan may not introduce a sporty version of the Micra for the Indian customer as the Renault Pulse looks very close to one. Nissan recently updated the car with a powerful horn, rear head rests and pure drive badges. Skyrocketing petrol prices thwarted the appeal of the fuel-sipping 1.2 petrol, and we’ll be surprised if the Japanese decision makers consider the more powerful 1.5 petrol from the Sunny.

[Source - revistaautoesporte.globo.com]

Nissan India must have reached a settlement with Bajaj to secure the Sunny name as even late last year we heard from one Nissan official privy to the matter saying that the Sunny name was practically ruled out for the car codenamed L02B no one in Nissan liked being called Micra sedan.

Now that the case is settled we can move on to how different the Sunny in Thailand is. The Almera is strapped with a 1.2-liter 3-cylinder engine putting out 79 horsepower (borrowed from the Micra). It’s available in either manual or the XTRONIC-CVT. Start-Stop system is standard which pushes fuel economy to 20kmpl in their country’s driving cycle and carbon dioxide emissions per kilometer stands at a tree-hugging 120 grams.

The rear spoiler is a nice cosmetic touch India will also appreciate. Note that the communication color is same in Thailand and India.

The Nissan Almera rolls out of the Samutprakarn plant and is available in six grades, six colors, and has reached dealers already. This is the second time Nissan is participating in the Thai government’s Eco Car program that offers waivers to cars complying to their eco-friendly norms.

Nissan Almera TV Commercial

Most of the exports would happen from their 2,00,000 capacity plant in Oragadam near Chennai. The idea is to develop that plant as a global supply chain management hub that will export cars to the many overseas countries.

There is definitely a strong case to export the Sunny sedan in many countries. So called as the ‘Global Sedan’, the Nissan Sunny can be easily customized to meet any requirement of any market. Being a successful product in USA and China – two major automotive markets – the Sunny will be well accepted in any market in the world.

Having said that, Nissan is also focusing on the domestic market.

Nissan has realized that the only chink in the armor is the lack of dealerships and service centers in India. The company is planning to expand its dealer networks to 60 members by next year from the current 45. By 2013, the carmaker plans to take it up to 100. This dealership network will come in real handy for the future products of Nissan India such as the NV200 MPV and a proposed small car in the future.

We expect Nissan to launch the diesel Sunny in the last quarter of 2011 and price it at around 75-80k over the petrol.

[Source - EconomicTimes.IndiaTimes.com]